Nick of Time (film)
| Nick of Time | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | John Badham |
| Produced by | John Badham D.J. Caruso |
| Written by | Patrick Sheane Duncan |
| Starring | Johnny Depp Christopher Walken Courtney Chase Charles S. Dutton Roma Maffia |
| Music by | Arthur B. Rubinstein |
| Cinematography | Roy H. Wagner |
| Editing by | Frank Morriss Kevin Stitt |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  November 22, 1995 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $33 million |
| Box office | $8,175,346 (United States)[1] |
Nick of Time, starring Johnny Depp, Christopher Walken, Charles S. Dutton and Courtney Chase, is a 1995 thriller movie. It was directed by John Badham. The film is rated R for "Violence and Language" by the MPAA. It is noteworthy for taking place in real time.
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[edit] Plot
The film opens with Gene Watson (Depp), a mild-mannered, widowed accountant arriving with his daughter Lynn at a train station in Los Angeles.
As Watson makes a payphone call informing an unidentified person that his train was late, two mysterious strangers in suits (Christopher Walken, Roma Maffia), known only as Smith and Jones, survey the station from a catwalk, discussing a yet-to-be-elaborated scheme. Noticing Watson retaliate against a skater who was harassing his daughter, Smith and Jones set their sights on him and swiftly approach the pair.
Showing a badge, the two strangers convince Watson that they are police officers and whisk both father and daughter into a van without justification. Once in the vehicle, the accountant begins to notice things aren't right and gets nervous, but Smith subsequently pistol whips Watson in the leg to get his attention.
Smith then informs Watson that they will kill his daughter unless he murders a woman depicted in a photograph. He soon learns that the woman is State Governor Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason) and realizes that killing her would be a suicide mission.
Once at the Bonaventure Hotel (where a campaign stop is being held), Watson makes several attempts to warn people about his situation, but Smith consistently follows him around, taunts and viciously beats him whenever he doesn't make a move. Watson manages to find the Governor's young campaign assistant, Krista Brooks (Gloria Reuben) who believes Watson's story and encourages him to report the matter to the governor's husband, Brendan Grant (Peter Strauss). Once in his suite, however, Brendan and a campaign lobbyist appear to disbelieve the story, and before anything more can be said, the psychopathic Smith shows up in the room and fatally shoots Krista, causing a tense scuffle between Watson and Smith.
Watson awakens after unconsciousness, during which he imagined shooting Smith who then appeared out of nowhere and tossed him over the hotel's lobby balcony. Watson finds nearly everyone on the campaign, including the governor's staff and husband, are involved in the plot, with an unnamed right-wing lobbyist (G.D. Spradlin) masterminding it all.
Watson eventually finds disabled veteran Huey (Charles S. Dutton) who polishes people's shoes at the hotel. While at first he doesn't believe Watson, Smith talks to Watson about the plot, believing Huey to be completely deaf according to a sign (he actually has one leg). The hotel employee reluctantly assists Watson to get to Governor Grant's suite and advise her of the conspiracy. Although skeptical at first, she later notices Brendan acting suspiciously and Krista missing and realizes Watson was telling the truth.
Being hastened by her husband to make the last speech, the governor greets supporters in a ballroom when Watson takes out the gun, points it at a projector room where Smith is watching him and shoots at the window. This unleashes a panic in the ballroom, causing a stampede and brief shootout between Watson and the security people.
In the meantime, Huey stalls the armed Jones (who is in the van with Watson's daughter, Lynn) after she can't get a signal from Smith, and he annoys her to the point of a violent confrontation. Lynn quickly tries to get out of the van when Smith opens the door and begins to shoot at her. Right after she hides under the seat, Watson appears and shoots Smith. The psychopath congratulates Watson on becoming a killer just before he's finished off. Before Jones can get a clear shot at the father and daughter, Huey beats her unconscious with his prosthetic leg and wing tip shoe.
An alternate TV scene (and on some DVD versions) shows the governor thanking Watson and Huey for saving her life, but the penultimate scene shows the lobbyist/conspiracy mastermind stepping on Watson's broken wristwatch and leaving the hotel in a car.
[edit] Cast
- Johnny Depp – Gene Watson
- Christopher Walken – Mr. Smith
- Charles S. Dutton – Huey
- Roma Maffia – Ms. Jones
- Marsha Mason – Gov. Eleanor Grant
- Peter Strauss – Brendan Grant
- Gloria Reuben – Krista Brooks
- G.D. Spradlin – The Lobbyist
- Yul Vazquez - Gustino
- Edith Diaz - Irene
[edit] Reception
Nick of Time received generally poor reviews from critics. Based on 27 reviews collected from notable publications by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an overall approval rating of 30%.[2] Based on the film's lackluster reception, it only grossed $8 million at the box office.[1]
[edit] Soundtrack
The film's score – composed by Arthur B. Rubinstein – was released by Milan Records on November 22, 1995.
[edit] Filming locations
The majority of filming took place at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles CA.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Nick of Time (1995)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nickoftime.htm. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ Nick of Time reviews
[edit] External links
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