Timestalkers

The fast moving and clever time travel plot is greatly enhanced by the presence of the duster clad Klaus Kinski. He has a lot of screen time, along with a fine performance by William Devane. After his wife and boy are killed in a car wreck, Devane purchases an old western trunk, which contains the intriguing 1886 photograph, that sets the story in motion. A chase ensues across 100 years to reverse history, and the tale never falters. One memorable scene involves Kinski entering a fence protected compound. The film holds interest throughout, and the ending is very satisfying. I bought "Timestalkers" because I am a big fan of both Klaus Kinski and William Devane. I was not disappointed. - MERK

Cowboys, time travel and Klaus Kinski, it doesn't get much better than this. This film is one of those little gems that should be watched every Xmas along with The Great Escape and Its a Wonderful Life. Like all good films it starts with tragedy, then a small mystery. The back story is well presented and not complicated; like many I could mention. Also, the story doesn't jump back and too; as is all too common these days. Happy endings don't come any happier, that's all I'm going to say, but is not predictable. Klaus Kinski is a joy to watch with his rolling eyes and tough talking and big cowboy coat. The time traveling is cool and does not involve a Tardis; another bonus.

25 January 2010. Though dated and low-budget with sometimes awful sixties electronic music that periodically resonates nicely and some questionable effort at time-travel special effects that are both different but sometimes tacky, this particular time travel movie has some pretty decent and intelligent storyline tidbits that most of this genre omit. In the beginning there is some nice time displacement English dialogue though it fades eventually during the movie (unlike the more previous comedy version - DEMOLITION MAN, 1993) and there is the relatively rare use of detective work that is fairly prominent in this movie a bit like though not as intense as the contemporary public television HISTORY DETECTIVES. As another post revealed there is a nice use of time travel within time travel to great effect by Klaus Kinski as well as the ending being a rather up to one's interpretation of how the movie really circles around or does it. Overall this is a relatively predictable but decently presented time travel scenario without particularly the overblown action. This is a more educated, though not totally believable low-budgeted time travel entertainment. 7/10.

Time travelling with a gun slinging Klaus Kinski and western memorabilia nut William Devane? I won't have it any other way. "Timestalkers" is a playfully modest little made-for-TV production that's full of warmth and covers an interestingly ambitious concept.

The story follows Professor Scott McKenzie (William Devane), an old western memorabilia collector discovers in a photograph from 1866 a 20th century .357 Magnum revolver in the hands of a cowboy (Klaus Kinski). Scott soon starts questioning the possibility of time-travel and writes a paper on it. Then strangely a lady appears who claims that she believes him and he soon discovers that she's a time-traveller too. She wants him help her find out why this time-traveller has gone back to the old-west and eventually stop him from changing the face of history.

Early on the plot moves back and forth between the past and present. Some of the items that Devane's character looks at or purchases at an auction have a history that involves the magnum-toting gunman. Some foreseeable plot-holes creep in, but it's inventively told and works well with its collective gimmicks. The chintzy special effects create some charm, and so does the cheesy igniting sparks cutaways. The uncanny music is whimsically scored. There's a nice sense of humour in the script. Devane gives a winning performance and Kinski's glazed turn offers that venomously cold tinge. Lauren Hutton is fetchingly palatable. John Ratzenburger and Forest Tucker pop in with fun support parts. It looks cheap, but it's actually better than its limitations allow it to be. A smart, enjoyably harmless sci-fi yarn.

"Timestalkers" is without doubt the very best of all time travel films, it`s well acted, and directed, and it is not spoilt by OTT special effects.

Bill Devane is great in the lead role, and it`s nice to see Klaus Kinski in a more commercial type role.

The basic plot centres around an old trunk and it`s contents picked up at a car boot sale (garage sale in the US), a photo revels in the distance a man with a very modern gun, and so our journey starts, and it`s edge of the seat stuff all the way....

See it if you can. Score: 10/10