Nick of Time (film)
Encyclopedia
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.
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
), named 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, Watson 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 a young campaign assistant, Krista (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, the husband 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 and finds nearly everyone on the campaign, including the governor's staff and husband, are involved in the plot, with an unnamed right-wing lobbyist (played by G.D. Spradlin) masterminding it all.
Watson eventually finds disabled veteran (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 the shoe cleaner to be completely deaf according to a sign. 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 her husband acting suspiciously 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, the shoeshine man 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, killing him. Before Jones can get a clear shot at the father and daughter, the shoeshine man beats her unconscious with his prosthetic leg.
An alternate TV scene (and on some DVD
versions) shows the governor thanking Watson for saving her life, but the penultimate scene shows the lobbyist/conspiracy mastermind stepping on a broken wristwatch and leaving the hotel in a car.
the film holds an overall approval rating of 30%. Based on the film's lackluster reception, it only grossed $8 million at the box office.
– was released by Milan Records
on November 22, 1995.
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
, Charles S. Dutton
Charles S. Dutton
Charles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
and Courtney Chase, is a 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
thriller movie. It was directed by John Badham
John Badham
- External links :...
. The film is rated R for "Violence and Language" by the MPAA. It is noteworthy for taking place in real time.
Plot
The film opens with Gene Watson (Depp), a mild-mannered, widowed accountantAccountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
arriving with his daughter Lynn at a train station in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
As Watson makes a payphone call informing an unidentified person that his train was late, two mysterious strangers in suits (Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
, Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather....
), named 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, Watson 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
Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason is an American actress and television director.She received four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for her performances in Cinderella Liberty, The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two, and Only When I Laugh. She is also known for starring in the 1986 film Heartbreak Ridge.-Life:Mason was...
) and realizes that killing her would be a suicide mission.
Once at the Bonaventure Hotel
Bonaventure Hotel
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites is a , 35-story hotel in Los Angeles, California, constructed between 1974 and 1976. Designed by architect John C. Portman, Jr., it is the largest hotel in the city. The top floor has a revolving restaurant and bar...
(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 a young campaign assistant, Krista (Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.-Life and career:...
) who believes Watson's story and encourages him to report the matter to the governor's husband, Brendan Grant (Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
). Once in his suite, however, the husband 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 and finds nearly everyone on the campaign, including the governor's staff and husband, are involved in the plot, with an unnamed right-wing lobbyist (played by G.D. Spradlin) masterminding it all.
Watson eventually finds disabled veteran (Charles S. Dutton
Charles S. Dutton
Charles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
) who polishes people's shoes at the hotel. While at first he doesn't believe Watson, Smith talks to Watson about the plot, believing the shoe cleaner to be completely deaf according to a sign. 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 her husband acting suspiciously 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, the shoeshine man 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, killing him. Before Jones can get a clear shot at the father and daughter, the shoeshine man beats her unconscious with his prosthetic leg.
An alternate TV scene (and on some DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
versions) shows the governor thanking Watson for saving her life, but the penultimate scene shows the lobbyist/conspiracy mastermind stepping on a broken wristwatch and leaving the hotel in a car.
Cast
- Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
– Gene Watson - Charles S. DuttonCharles S. DuttonCharles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3...
– Huey - Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
– Mr. Smith - Roma MaffiaRoma MaffiaRoma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather....
– Ms. Jones - Marsha MasonMarsha MasonMarsha Mason is an American actress and television director.She received four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for her performances in Cinderella Liberty, The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two, and Only When I Laugh. She is also known for starring in the 1986 film Heartbreak Ridge.-Life:Mason was...
– Gov. Eleanor Grant - Peter StraussPeter StraussPeter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
– Brendan Grant - Gloria ReubenGloria ReubenGloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.-Life and career:...
– Krista Brooks - G.D. Spradlin – The Lobbyist
Reception
Nick of Time received generally poor reviews from critics. Based on 27 reviews collected from notable publications by review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
the film holds an overall approval rating of 30%. Based on the film's lackluster reception, it only grossed $8 million at the box office.
Soundtrack
The film's score – composed by Arthur B. RubinsteinArthur B. Rubinstein
Arthur B. Rubinstein is a composer and behind in particular several TV series soundtracks, but also occasional film scores, possibly most notably work such as Video Fever and Edge of the World in the film WarGames. During the making of these soundtracks, he was a member of the band The Beepers...
– was released by Milan Records
Milan Records
Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases....
on November 22, 1995.