Five Minutes to Live

FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE/DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC is a modest little potboiler, but for all it's worth, it's not at all bad. Fact is, there's a tense and very cleverly thought-out idea at the crux of this, which, at a glance, would appear to be a rather ordinary, assembly-line B crime picture.

Something of a cult favorite today, chiefly for it's inclusion of Johnny Cash as a sociopathic thief/killer, one of a mottle who embark on a killing spree in a small U.S. town, ringing doorbells of random homes, then slaughtering whomever answers. Cash's performance has a neophyte charm, but is delightfully weird(and he even manages to sneak his musical talents in a few times). In my personal opinion, though, this is Vic Tayback's show all the way...a sadly underrated character player, he shines in his role as a joyless, hard-as-nails crook.

A worthy slice of vintage Americana, blemished slightly by a wispy finale. Still, this should be a rewarding watch for many, and especially so for trivia lovers who might be curious to see early appearances by Rue McClannahan and Ronnie Howard.

5.5/10

This strange little B-movie was originally titled FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE, but was re-released in 1966 as DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC because Cash' star had risen considerably in those years. He stars as Johnny Cabot, a level-headed murderer who teams up with another con (Tayback) in a scheme to hold a bank president's wife hostage. But what they don't know is that the bank president is planning to run off to Las Vegas with his mistress and couldn't care less about his wife.

The production values are close to zero complete with bad direction, dragging scenes and an all out over-the-top music score, more reminiscent of your average bad '50s Sci-fi flick. Nevertheless, the film does have a certain suspense and the dialog is surprisingly snappy and tongue-in-cheek with some unexpected twists along the way. It's fascinating to see Johnny Cash in a dramatic role, although he is not much of an actor, but with this material and production values, I can hardly blame him. He has a natural charisma, but comes across as anxious, even when he's supposed to be relaxed, rolling with his eyes. He was probably coked out of his head. If you could call it a flaw, he never ceases to be Johnny Cash, even his character's first name is Johnny. On top of that, he always carries his guitar with him and belts out the song "Five Minutes to live" a couple of times. Obviously the makers wanted to cash in on Cash's presence by making his character even more Cash than he already is... sorry for the bad wordplay.

The transfer to the DVD didn't help much, but was probably the best copy they could find. It's all washed out, especially the lighter colours have washed out almost completely. The sound is OK and very loud. When I normally put the volume at, let's say, 5, with this film it was still hollering across the room at volume 2. Very strange, the loudest DVD I ever watched. I don't wanna end up defending this one, but for some reason I watched this with interest till the closing titles. If you already have a weakness for mediocre B-flics from the period and have an interest in Johnny Cash as well, mildly recommended. For others, it's probably of little interest.

Camera Obscura --- 6/10

This is a tough little movie. It would work quite well without names. But let's face it: The leading man is the draw. Johnny Cash, in 1961, looking a little like Elvis, as a ruthless killer. A killer, to be sure, who sings the title song and whom we see playing guitar.

Donald Woods is a dead ringer for the Darren character in "Bewitched." He is a complacent suburban dad. Cay Forrester is just right as his upwardly mobile blonde wife. Ron Howard is very cute as their son. (And Pamela Mason turns in a good acting job but is a little implausible as Woods's mistress.) Before he got the job cooking for Alice, Tayback was apparently a crook. A pretty mean one, at that. And here, he has hired Cash to hold banker Woods's wife hostage. (Before he takes the job, Cash has to dump his girlfriend, the greedy Doris, AKA Dory.) For an obviously low budget movie, this does its job neatly. And it holds up very well 45 years after it was released.

I think Johnny Cash could have made quite a career for himself in the movies. I know he did some acting. But, of course, we would have lost out on his music. This shows Johnny really young, with the slick black hair, a quick trigger, and a nut-case mentality. He has been hired by a professional bank robber to hold hostage the wife of a bank official. He taunts her, threatens her. He is truly psychotic. Early on, he shoots down his girlfriend in cold blood because she wants a piece of the action. The weakness in the movie isn't the acting; that's pretty good. It's the lame plot. The plot for the bank robbery is laughable. Vick Tayback sits in the bank and literally robs it without using a weapon and just walking into a safe with the husband. There is a subplot of phone calls among various people. I was interested to see what was going to happen, but it all seemed so implausible. There's also another subplot: the bank official husband is having an affair with a possessive woman. When you watch this, just think of the possible pitfalls. To enumerate them would give away too much. See for yourself.

Imagine that! A low budget film that feature Johnny Cash as a killer who serenades his victims! DOOR TO DOOR MANIAC (aka FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE) features then up and coming Johnny Cash as cold blooded killer Johnny Cabot. Johnny is talked into an unusual bank hiest, where Johnny has to hold a bank executive's wife hostage. Complications arise with the executive's mistress, son (Played by Ron "Grinch" Howard) and a couple of bank employees who think they can become heroes! The acting in this film borders community theatre, except for Cash, who is wonderfully cold-blooded as the villian. He has these wild, wild spurts, where he prances around his prey, spouts Tarantino-like tough talk with ease, and gives out with these wonderful eye gestures. Some of the more experienced supporting cast have their moments, such as Vic Tayback, as the accomplice. One of the true joys of my crazy video collection.