Meurtre en suspens

Johnny Depp takes a break from his usual roles as outcasts, in this playing a clean-cut accountant who travels by train back to LA with his daughter after the wake of his deceased ex-wife. Upon entering the station, 2 people show him a police badge, take him into a van, and blackmail him into assassinating the governor in one hour or else they'll kill his daughter.

The remainder of the entire movie takes place in a hotel where the paranoid atmosphere gives clues about how big the conspiracy is and the political motives behind it; with nearly everyone keeping their eye on him and very little time, he's faced with the difficult task of getting out of this situation.

A must-see if you like edge of your seat excitement and an excellent cast, with Depp (great as Gene Watson), Marsha Mason, Charles S. Dutton, and Christopher Walken, playing the most despicable bad guy since Laurence Olivier in "Marathon Man".

When you see the name Wes Craven, John Carpenter or Brian de Palma, we know that we can trust that we're in for a couple of hours of fine entertainment.

Although not as much a household name as the directors above, John Badham knows how to tell a suspenseful story as well as any of the other "kids on the block." Please look up his filmography and see all the countless house of excellent entertainment he has brought us; not only on the big screen but on television as well.

In "Nick of Time" John carefully guides us through one disaster after another. Johnny Depp conveys his frustration and fear that he might not be able to prevent any of the bad things that will happen.

Christopher Walken again proves that he is as comfortable being the "heavy" as he has been the "hero."

At a time when sometimes the good guys don't always win and the bad guys sometimes "get away with it," this is one cinematic thriller that should keep you on the edge of your seat the whole 90 minutes.

Nick of Time has a rather novel concept of taking place in real time some years before the TV series 24 made this its central conceit.

Johnny Depp plays an everyman accountant whose young daughter is kidnapped by villainous Christopher Walken and ordered to kill the Governor of California or else his daughter will die.

Walken gives him a gun and a time limit of 90 minutes and it has to be done when the Governor is giving a speech in a hotel.

Depp in an unusual role playing a normal guy has to keep his wits about him and try to find help but Walken and his cronies are watching his every move. Depp still manages to unravel a conspiracy.

The film may have a preposterous plot, surely there are easier ways to kill the Governor but the film kicks in quickly and director John Badham clearly brings a Hitchcockian sheen to the film. You seem the time motif regularly in the film and an increasingly frantic Depp as time goes on.

A clever idea - an thriller played along real time to involve the viewer directly in the tension and pressure of the deadlines. Depp is forced to kill a senator or his daughter will be killed by Walken and Maffia. He is given a gun and a time limit to carry it out.

As the basis for a thriller it doesn't quite work - the real time concept falls apart a few times, but with this much talent on board it still holds it own. A throwback to the Hitchcock everyman thrillers of years ago, Depp plays his character well and you always believe he is just an ordinary man in an unbelievable situation rather than an action hero in the making while Walken does what he does best and plays the villain well.

The plot holds together well and you really find stuff out at the same time as Depp does. Some of the conspiracy stuff towards the end of the film is obvious and doesn't add anything to the film, but the main story revolving around Depp and Walken is tense enough to carry the film.

It doesn't contain any explosions or martial arts but the tension is good throughout. It's not a classic thriller but it's quite an original idea and plot and almost manages to keep the tension for the whole movie.

An young accountant Gene Wilson (Johnny Deep) arrived at L.A.'s Union Station with his daughter (Courtney Chase). From the moment, they arrived, two mysterious strangers (Oscar-Winner:Christopher Walken and Roma Maffia) separate him from his daughter. One of them proposed Gene to assassinate a government official (Marsha Mason) or else, they will murder his daughter.

Directed by John Badham (The Hard Way, Short Circuit, Stakeout) made an entertaining, clever if barely believable. suspense thriller that was filmed in "real time". Which it doesn't always paid off, especially the director used endless close-up of clocks. Which does at times makes this movie claustrophobic but not enough. This was one of the major box office flops and critical disappointments of 1995. But the picture plays surprisingly better on video and went on to have a sort of a cult following years later.

DVD has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an good-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD's only extra is the theatrical trailer. What makes this flawed movie watchable is a game cast, sometimes amusing dark sense of humour and a few good moments of genuine suspense. But at times, the film nearly falls apart from the unlikely false plot moment near the third act and an unsatisfying conclusion. Despite all this, this is a well directed picture that certainly worth a look of this truly real mixed bag film. Written by Patrick Sheane Duncan (Courage Under Fire, A Home of Our Own, Mr. Holland's Opus). (*** ½/*****).