Movies like "Nick of Time" take skill to do correctly. The entire movie occurs in roughly an hour and a half movie time so you have to craft a good script to capture that little bit of time in a feature length movie and still be compelling. "Nick of Time" did that.
A man named Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) is visiting L.A. with his daughter. They don't even get out of the train station before two law enforcement types rustle them up and whisk them away in a van. At that time Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) tells Gene that he must kill Governor Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason) by 1:30 or his daughter will be killed. That's a doozy of a decision for anyone. Doubtlessly, you're going to do any and everything to save your daughter, but killing a governor is morally detestable as well as a one way to ticket to prison. Besides, he can't think that they'll leave him alive after the job is complete.
With that hanging over his head and the ever-watchful eye of Mr. Smith Gene went into action. I don't want to make it sound like he had some ingenious plan to avoid killing the governor and save his daughter because he didn't. He went into action sort of like an old jalopy--sputtering, wheezing, and barely moving.
It was an intense movie though. Johnny Depp captured the sheer fright, anxiety, confusion, and hopelessness of his situation. Walken was masterful as the omnipresent evil pall hanging over Gene. And even as far-fetched as it was, I liked the script. It was something different, and in a good way.
A man named Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) is visiting L.A. with his daughter. They don't even get out of the train station before two law enforcement types rustle them up and whisk them away in a van. At that time Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) tells Gene that he must kill Governor Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason) by 1:30 or his daughter will be killed. That's a doozy of a decision for anyone. Doubtlessly, you're going to do any and everything to save your daughter, but killing a governor is morally detestable as well as a one way to ticket to prison. Besides, he can't think that they'll leave him alive after the job is complete.
With that hanging over his head and the ever-watchful eye of Mr. Smith Gene went into action. I don't want to make it sound like he had some ingenious plan to avoid killing the governor and save his daughter because he didn't. He went into action sort of like an old jalopy--sputtering, wheezing, and barely moving.
It was an intense movie though. Johnny Depp captured the sheer fright, anxiety, confusion, and hopelessness of his situation. Walken was masterful as the omnipresent evil pall hanging over Gene. And even as far-fetched as it was, I liked the script. It was something different, and in a good way.