Customer Reviews

Nick of Time (Widescreen)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

this is a very thrilling and suspenseful movie.the movie take place in
"real time" meaning that the same amount of time that goes by for the
audience,also goes by for the characters. for action and excitement and
nail biting suspense,this is the movie.great acting all around
including Johhny Depp in the lead role, as well s Christoper Walken and
Roma Maffia,to name a few.i was on the edge of my seat for this
potboiler,right down to the last minute.the tension was almost
unbearable at times.this is one well written suspense thriller which
ranks right up there,at least in my mind.but don't take my word for
it.run out and rent it.i'll think you'll really enjoy it.for me "Nick
of Time" is a solid 4/5

... yes this is in HIS tradition(working against the clock - bizarre mix-ups... - yup - working within a strict disciplin)...
Johnny Depp is in his first REAL mainstream role; but fortunately - it is a good 1... And an interesting 1. If u r one of those who must have fires, explosions, Vin Disel; stay away... As for the rest of us... Let`s sit down and enjoy a good suspenser:-))))

Johnny Depp is clearly one of the most eclectic personalities the film industry has seen. He choses unusual roles and brings a unique presence to each character. Having said that, i am sad to say i don't recommend this specific film. I think most of us like to believe we are smarter than the 'bad guys'... and even though Depp always takes a contrarian approach to society and characters, i nevertheless felt my need to identify with the victim and overcome the villain was not being sufficiently fed. Who knows, maybe that's what Depp was striving for, the uncertainty and uncomfortableness of being in such quagmire of absurdities as to leave us (me) feeling angry at the good character, for being so dense. Christopher Walken turned in an average performance as one of the villains (If he really wants to expand his range he should try playing a vulnerable good guy). Perhaps that's what's really missing in this film- proper casting. Walken should have been cast as the hero and Depp as the villain. This 'Real Time' (Pre-'24') Drama really didn't work for me, but it appears to have set the standard for other 'real time' shows. What makes this film better than '24' is that it's shorter, and you actually DO root for the characters daughter to get rescued.

This movie does not work for me. It has no merits. As for the "In real time bit," I missed the tension of it -- maybe I should have synchronized my watch! I rented it because Johnny starred in it; love his work, and Chris Walken was an added bonus. The plot is lame, contrived, and does not work. Johnny is not convincing playing a father forced to chose between losing his child, or killing some governor. This movie left a bad "made-for-TV" taste in my mouth. Normally, I would think Johnny could pull it off. Ouch! Thank goodness for his countless, fantastic performances (Scissorhands, Brasco, and just about everything else). Don't waste your "real time" on this mared!

Great performances all the way through this suspenseful nail biter, especially by Depp, Mason & Maffey. Fast pased and imaginatively directed, with real dedication from its talented cast, the only problem with this thrill ride is the often too-tidy plot points. Suspend your disbelief and let yourself go and you'll have fun with this quick 88 minutes movie. Too bad there are no notable special features to enhance the DVD.

Neat idea, executed almost to perfection. Played along "real time" to involve the viewer directly into the tension of a stiff deadline. Johnny Depp, an ordinary Joe, is assigned to kill a senator or his daughter will be killed by Walken and the Mafia. All he has is a photograph, a gun and an ultimatum.

I am not convinced that the ambitious concept of real time played out too well, but with this much talent on board it still holds it own. A throwback to the Hitchcock everyman thrillers of years ago, Depp plays his character well and you always believe he is just an ordinary man in an unbelievable situation rather than an action hero in the making while Walken does what he does best and plays the villain well.

You'll be on the edge of your seat until the denouement when you find stuff out at the same time as Depp. Part of the conspiratorial stuff is a little feeble and perhaps could have been skipped without a dent in the script, but thankfully it doesn't dilute the tension around the chemistry of Depp and Walken.

Not a classic thriller but quite an original theme with crafty intrigue. Highly recommended for people with a flavour for action and suspense.

NICK OF TIME is a very absorbing and well made movie. Director John Badham orchestrates a tight, nerve-racking thriller, using "real time" to accentuate the hero's plight. Johnny Depp is very good in the lead role, embodying the torment and anguish of a man put into a terrifying position. Christopher Walken is as evil as he can be, his ruthless "quest" always a constant threat; Charles S. Dutton as a shoe shiner is remarkably good; Marsha Mason does a fine job as the governor, Peter Strauss well playing her ambitious husband. Rona Maffia as Walken's accomplice also brings a cold-hearted chill to her role.
A tight, well done thriller.

Already with heavy-arsenal names such as Depp and Walken "Nick of Time" still doesn't manage the must-see league of its genre. Without them, hmm, it would quietly drift into oblivion.

It's a rather highly unlikely plot, where the secret service(s) wait till the last moment as the pick someone straight out of the crowd (!) , blackmail him that they'll kill his daughter should he not succumb to a deal where he has to go and kill the governor in a rally about to take place. Now you need as a viewer to get past this before you can begin enjoying the film. If, that is, and that's an "if" that comes with major complications. But back to the plot: what we have here is basically a major joke of an idea. the secret service and security of the governor's rally are all involved in the assasination plot, but since this is so major why would they wait till the last moment to find an assasin even if he needed be a patsy? And how would they have guaranteed results by simply picking him out of a crowd in a station??? This guy could've been a psycho, he could've been a cop, he could've been vasically anybody who wouldnt fit the schem not to mention they dont even check whether this guy can even shoot at all, let alone if he ever held a gun in his hands. Nope, it's as if all this doesn't matter. Yet, the picked patsy (J.Depp) goes along rather easily with the blackmail, which by the way only becomes convincing much, much later in the film, and then more absurdities begin to rain down on us:

the agent who's responsible for putting the whole scheme in motion (Walken) has to be omnipresent to make sure that the the patsy doesnt talk to anyone or doesnt try anything that would put the whole plot in jeopardy. This alone becomes almost comedic at times as Walken is following Depp around coaching him ("go and do your job now" or "dont mess up again" etc etc...) and all the time along Depp tries various methods of revealing the plot to someone or trying to escape to get his daughter back...And everytime Walken gets him back on track with the same monotonous "admonition": "go do what you're told".

The funniest part of that "plot" is where Depp finds a shoeshiner to whom he starts revealing the whole thing but then he passes him off to Walken as deaf even though Walken has been seeing him actually talk at length to the shoeshiner...That's basically where the whole thing falls apart completely..

Still, and considering what kind of faulty plot we're dealing with here, the movie does work. That would be mainly because of Walken's everconvincing performance as well as Depp's but on a secondary level.
Walken, is simply a joy to watch as he pulls off the tough merciless guy role in imposing fashion. He always does actually regardless of role. Depp follows to par without overimpressing really but without letting Walken alone in his task to carry the movie.

The 2 actors are the primary reason to watch this. Other than that, turn off your cerebrum because if you don't you might not make it through. Mostly for fans of Walken and Depp.

In this movie, Christopher Walkin's character kidnaps Johnny Depp's character's daughter and threatens to kill her if he does not kill the governor. Does this plot sound familiar? It would if you had seen the first season of the television show 24. The movie was made 6 years before 24, and though it's not as exciting, it's still entertaining and enoyable. I'd recommend it to fans of both Depp and Walken who do very good jobs.

depp : definetly a different character for him. he was good but the plot was just missing something. suspenseful but as I said the plot missed something. good cast, good story.