A clever idea - an thriller played along real time to involve the viewer directly in the tension and pressure of the deadlines. Depp is forced to kill a senator or his daughter will be killed by Walken and Maffia. He is given a gun and a time limit to carry it out.

As the basis for a thriller it doesn't quite work - the real time concept falls apart a few times, 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.

The plot holds together well and you really find stuff out at the same time as Depp does. Some of the conspiracy stuff towards the end of the film is obvious and doesn't add anything to the film, but the main story revolving around Depp and Walken is tense enough to carry the film.

It doesn't contain any explosions or martial arts but the tension is good throughout. It's not a classic thriller but it's quite an original idea and plot and almost manages to keep the tension for the whole movie.

I thought this was a pretty good movie. A suspenseful movie, Hitchcockian in that an innocent man gets involved in a deadly plot. An intriguing plot that had me thinking what I would do in the situation. Christopher Walken was, as usual, creepy and Johnny Depp was believable. The rest of the cast was very competent. I'd advise renting it. Not a special effects extravaganza but a nicely written fast moving movie.

I've read a lot of poor reviews for this movie. I don't understand it. The move is very good, it's not a 5 star movie, but it's still good. Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood) stars as an average guy whose wife has just recently died. One day on the way home, Depp and his daughter are kidnapped by two people, one of them being Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, The Dead Zone). They tell him that his daughter will die if he doesn't kill a certain person. He soon finds out that this person is the Governor of his state. They give him a gun and tell him that if she's not dead by a certain time his daughter is dead. This is a great premise for a suspense movie and is carried out very well. The great Charles S. Dutton (Rudy, Mimic) plays a shoe-shiner who helps Depp. Depp is solid as the father in a role that's different from a lot of his earlier roles. The always excellent Walken is, as usual, awesome as the bad guy, a role I always love to see him in. The film keeps you going, by offering a couple of nice twists. Ignore the reviews and rent this movie.

An young accountant Gene Wilson (Johnny Deep) arrived at L.A.'s Union Station with his daughter (Courtney Chase). From the moment, they arrived, two mysterious strangers (Oscar-Winner:Christopher Walken and Roma Maffia) separate him from his daughter. One of them proposed Gene to assassinate a government official (Marsha Mason) or else, they will murder his daughter.

Directed by John Badham (The Hard Way, Short Circuit, Stakeout) made an entertaining, clever if barely believable. suspense thriller that was filmed in "real time". Which it doesn't always paid off, especially the director used endless close-up of clocks. Which does at times makes this movie claustrophobic but not enough. This was one of the major box office flops and critical disappointments of 1995. But the picture plays surprisingly better on video and went on to have a sort of a cult following years later.

DVD has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an good-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD's only extra is the theatrical trailer. What makes this flawed movie watchable is a game cast, sometimes amusing dark sense of humour and a few good moments of genuine suspense. But at times, the film nearly falls apart from the unlikely false plot moment near the third act and an unsatisfying conclusion. Despite all this, this is a well directed picture that certainly worth a look of this truly real mixed bag film. Written by Patrick Sheane Duncan (Courage Under Fire, A Home of Our Own, Mr. Holland's Opus). (*** ½/*****).

When you see the name Wes Craven, John Carpenter or Brian de Palma, we know that we can trust that we're in for a couple of hours of fine entertainment.

Although not as much a household name as the directors above, John Badham knows how to tell a suspenseful story as well as any of the other "kids on the block." Please look up his filmography and see all the countless house of excellent entertainment he has brought us; not only on the big screen but on television as well.

In "Nick of Time" John carefully guides us through one disaster after another. Johnny Depp conveys his frustration and fear that he might not be able to prevent any of the bad things that will happen.

Christopher Walken again proves that he is as comfortable being the "heavy" as he has been the "hero."

At a time when sometimes the good guys don't always win and the bad guys sometimes "get away with it," this is one cinematic thriller that should keep you on the edge of your seat the whole 90 minutes.

Johnny Depp takes a break from his usual roles as outcasts, in this playing a clean-cut accountant who travels by train back to LA with his daughter after the wake of his deceased ex-wife. Upon entering the station, 2 people show him a police badge, take him into a van, and blackmail him into assassinating the governor in one hour or else they'll kill his daughter.

The remainder of the entire movie takes place in a hotel where the paranoid atmosphere gives clues about how big the conspiracy is and the political motives behind it; with nearly everyone keeping their eye on him and very little time, he's faced with the difficult task of getting out of this situation.

A must-see if you like edge of your seat excitement and an excellent cast, with Depp (great as Gene Watson), Marsha Mason, Charles S. Dutton, and Christopher Walken, playing the most despicable bad guy since Laurence Olivier in "Marathon Man".

I went to see this movie in the theater and I have to say that it is one of the most underrated films I have ever seen. This movie received a lot of bad press when it was released but I don't see how it was justified. The story is great and it makes you nervous watching it unfold. You will know what I am talking about if you see it. Christopher Walken gives another great performance as the "policeman" as he calls himself. Walken's voice is one of the best in the business. I highly recommend this movie if you want to be entertained with a great suspenseful film.

The first time I saw this movie a couple of years ago I thought it was pretty good. Seeing it again I can't remember what I thought was good about it. There are some enjoyable things like Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken; it seems that everything these actors do has some joy in it. Another nice thing is that the movie plays in real time. The movie is ninety minutes long, and so is the story.

Walken orders Depp to kill a woman, the governor of California (Marsha Mason), and to persuade him he and some others kidnap his little daughter. He is given a gun by Walken. He has ninety minutes to do so and we see that ninety minutes. My problem with this movie is the Walken character. Although he is enjoyable to watch, he pops up everywhere, only to serve the plot and make things harder for Depp. Help comes from Huey (Charles S. Dutton), how I will not reveal, but his qualities and handicaps are only there to serve the plot, again. There are some clever moments, I liked them, but I kept wondering things.

Pretty early in the movie we learn that almost everybody is in the conspiracy to kill the woman, including members of the security. There must have been an easier way to kill this woman when security is on your side. I kept thinking about that, spoiling parts of the movie for me. Still, if you like Depp or Walken you might enjoy this since both are on screen almost the entire time.

This is one of the most suspenseful movies you'll ever see, but that good for only viewing. After you've seen it, the impact is greatly lost for further viewings.

It got panned by many critics for having too far-fetched a storyline, and I agree. However, if you can put your brain on "hold" for 90 minutes, you'll enjoy the movie. The only annoying part for me was the typical Liberal bias in here where the Liberal politician is the target of a Conservative fanatic. They never show you the other way around. At least the writers here were somewhat subtle.

As interesting the characters as Johnny Depp usually plays, the two villains in here were more fun to watch than him. Christopher Walken and Roma Maffia were riveting as the killers. Depp actually played a normal person, which is not normal for him.

The suspense was so good, I could hardly watch parts of this. That was the best part of the movie. The worst may have been the so-overplayed cliché of the killers hesitating before shooting and then, because of that, being shot themselves. That is so tiresome. Or sometimes the crooks talk instead of shoot, and then are shot. It's one of critic Robert Ebert's biggest pet peeves and I agree with him. It's another reason this film got low grades by most critics.

However, this "real time" movie (trying to get the viewer even more involved), is guaranteed, if you've never seen it, to give you an entertaining hour-and-a-half.

Everything in that movie is phony. The basic thing if you want to make a good suspense film is that the situation is believable and you can identify with the protagonist and think: "Oh my Gosh that could happen to me" "If it does, I would react exactly like this"... In this film a very strong and professional outfit (Christopher Walken) wants to kill the governor of California (we'll never know why) during a political meeting (so corny, already in 1995).This outfit include almost everybody except the governor herself, including all the security crew (!??). And in order to do that they kidnap some guy (Johnny Depp) and his daughter randomly at the train station, give a gun to this guy (who has never used a gun before in his life) and tell him that if he doesn't kill the governor at 1:30 pm they will execute his daughter. Off course the guy doesn't want to do it and try to escape them but Christopher Walken keeps popping up from everywhere to keep the pressure on Johnny Depp.

So the question is: "Why didn't they hire some hit-man to do the job????"

Because there would have been no film? Yes, it's true but it would have made more sense.

This Hichcockian movie deals about an accountant named Watson(Johnny Deep)arriving L.A. Union Station accompanied by his daughter named Lynn(Courtney Chase). He's approached by a pair of rare people(Christopher Walken, Roma Maffia). The daughter is taken hostage into a van and Watson suffers a blackmail, he's given a gun with six bullets and he must to go the Bonaventure Hotel and commit murder a known people(Marsha Mason). Watson is only helped by a shoeshine boy(Charles S Dutton).

Gripping, original action movie with Deep desperately trying to find the means avoid his daughter to be murdered.Excellent thriller full of intrigue and tense, this is a fast-paced, stylized action-suspense film. The tension of this picture keeps snowballing as the clock ticks ever close for killing the daughter. The tale appear to unfold in real time as the many on screen clocks will verify. Most unusual is the device of having the victim play desperado and hunt the killers, and saving his daughter , as time runs out. Casting is frankly magnificent, Johnny Deep as tormented businessman, Christopher Walken takes honors as a psychopath who attempts to turn the tables on the victim before he can inform the police. Plus, a good secondary cast, such as Peter Strauss, Gloria Reuben, Marsha Mason, G D Spradlin, among them. Adequate musical score accompanying the action by Arthur B Rubinstein and inventively photographed by Roy Wagner. The motion picture is accurately directed by John Badham. He's a nice director who achieved his greatest success in the 80s. He directed several hits(Saturday night fever, Short circuit, Blue thunder, Drop zone, War games,Skateout), though today making TV movies(Jack Bull, Floating away) and television episodes(Crossing Jordan,Psych,Las Vegas,Standoff, Heroes).

I'd like to say that although the script was horrible at least Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken made the film worth a watch. We're talking about two fine American actors here.

But, even if you've enjoyed every performance you've ever seen from Johnny Depp or Christopher Walken, take a pass on this movie. I've never seen a more uninspired performance from either of them. Ever.

As for the script here's the deal - Some people who are politically connected want a certain governor dead. These are high powered people with serious money and inside connections with law enforcement. It would be very difficult to stop them.

Well, unless of course their plan was "Let's grab some random stranger off a train, kidnap his daughter and blackmail him into killing the governor for us."

Yea, that's gonna work.

The Three Stooges in a Banana Republic might come up with a assassination scheme like this. It still wouldn't work, but at least it would be more fun to watch.

I won't spoil it for you and tell you how things work out for Johnny Depp and his daughter but then again, do I really have to?

And what's up with all the revolvers? I haven't seen this many revolvers in a film since the Dirty Harry films in the 1970's.

The consistent struggle for originality in the genre of action thrillers has lead to certain less than outstanding premises being lauded as innovative - Nick of Time being a perfect example. While the premise of an everyman being blackmailed into murder to prevent his daughter's murder is undeniably a clever one, showing glimmers of Hitchcock, it was hardly an instant meal ticket to a successful film. In the hands of a sturdy, capable filmmaker and boasting a taut, terse script, Nick of Time might have evolved into a nail biting masterpiece of tension, but as it is, the results fall disappointingly short of initial expectations.

While the idea of the film's plot unfolding in real time is intriguing, despite its concise hour and a half length the film still feels overlong, as if it is pushing its slight concept over too extended a period, leading to many repetitions or slack moments as opposed to the taut, gripping thriller it intended to be. Director John Badham (name related puns were just bound to surface given the quality of his work here) appears uncomfortable with the notion of an intense, claustrophobic thriller, and continually inundates the film with long shots, as if attempting to broaden its scope - the result being an expansive laxity of the tension which was ultimately necessary to make the film a success. Similarly, despite its "thriller" classification, the action in the film is restricted to only two brief setpieces (one being an ill- advised dream sequence), suggesting its being primarily fuelled by suspense and emotional tension - however, apart from the odd patch of effectively generated tension, the film is so poorly executed on these fronts that it is often simply a lackluster, or simply uninteresting watch, falling short of expectations that were never terribly high to begin with.

The paltry, often laughable script offers nothing more than poor lines, a mostly entirely absent sense of palpable tension and frequent absurdly inexplicable character motivations (seeing as Walken's character oversees the pending murder so closely, why not simply do the job himself?) leading to plot twists which make little sense. Even the initially appealing premise reveals itself to be a thinly thought out one, complete with dollops of plot holes too large to be swallowed up by the pithy enjoyment factor. While some peculiar cinematography adds a mildly unique quality to the film, the ever so subtle recurring visual motif of clocks or watches serves to slow the film down rather than amp up the tension.

Despite being deprived a venue for his usual lunacies, Johnny Depp does what he can with the role of a harried everyman blackmailed into an assassination plot, exuding enough charisma to keep the thin premise afloat. Christopher Walken has a great deal more fun, oozing wild eyed menace as the mysterious captor coercing Depp into murder, and delivering the only really noteworthy performance of the film. Charles S. Dutton is amusing as a jovial shoe shiner swept into the midst, though his character's offbeat humour more often than not seems out of place considering his grim surroundings. Roma Maffia puts a slightly inventive spin on the archetypal hostage captor, but Marsha Mason gives an embarrassingly melodramatic rendition of the threatened senatorial candidate, Depp's target. Similarly, Courtney Chase fulfils just about every "irritating little girl" cliché in the book as Depp's kidnapped daughter, doing little to sympathise the character in the audience's eyes.

While the film can hardly be described as anywhere near as downright despicable as it might have become, disappointing is indeed the word of choice as a decently intriguing premise is overwhelmed by inattentive, lacklustre directing and lazy screen writing generating hardly a scrap of tension in a film intended to thrive on it. While the odd sliver of enjoyment can frequently be extracted from the experience, most would be well advised to avoid Nick of Time apart from those willing to tolerate its glaring inadequacies.

-5/10

It is not a gratifying task to write a bad review on a movie. I am doing it to save some of my soul mates from spending valuable ninety minutes on this movie.

The plot is an unpleasent mix of boring predictability and irritating implausibility. The actors (believe it or not: even Christopher Walken) are struggling to push through the irrealistic and unjustifiable actions of their cartoon-like characters. The athmosphere, the political message, the acting, the plot... It just doesn't work.

Even if you are not fastidious about the depth and credibility of the movies you like, this one may easily ruin your evening.

Accountant Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) arrives on the train with his daughter Lynn from San Diego. Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) and Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia) are debating about people at the train station and pick out Gene and his daughter. They flash a badge and take them back to their van. They kidnap his daughter and demand that he murder Gov. Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason). He has less than ninety minutes. With Smith watching over him, he is finally able to convince Grant's assistant Krista Brooks (Gloria Reuben). Smith kills her revealing a big conspiracy within Grant's inner circle. Gene has only shoeshine guy Huey (Charles S. Dutton) to turn to.

It's an intriguing premise of a thriller taking place mostly in real time. It does feel like the movie is trying too hard. Walken keeps coming by injecting his weirdness as threats. It needs a few moments of quiet to build up the intensity. I would also think that Gene would take the shot when he has Jones cornered with his daughter. There are a few moments where the movie stuck me as wrong. I like the premise more than the result.

With movies like The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rear Window and North by Northwest, Hitchcock perfected the template of the thriller with the ordinary guy enmeshed in a crime/conspiracy - a model which inspired directors like De Palma, Argento, Zemeckis, Fincher and countless others.

The plot? Conspirators kidnap everyman Johnny Depp's daughter and blackmail him into murdering a politician.

Unfortunately, the movie commits a few serious blunders.

First, as magnetic a presence as Walken is, villains in these scenarios are best used as ominous, vague threats in the background. Here, Depp keeps bumping into a grimacing, threat-spouting Walken every two minutes, so any sense of menace fades and the story takes a farcical turn.

Second, when it becomes apparent *everyone* is involved in the conspiracy, suspension of disbelief shatters into tiny pieces. Why introduce such an erratic element in your plan when you have this kind of complete control over the situation?

The movie reaches its nadir with an incredibly clichéd dream sequence halfway through, but even the rest is far from stellar. Hitchcock, this ain't.

5/10

The clock is ticking for Johnny Depp in Nick of Time, a twist-filled, race-against-time thriller directed by John Badham. And indeed it is a race, filmed in "real time" so that on screen events unfold minute by nail-biting minute as they would in real life.Christopher Walken, Charles S. Dutton and Courtney Chase co-stars in this film.

A stranger pulled into a deadly scheme races against time to save his daughter in this thriller. Gene Watson is an accountant who comes to L.A. with his ten-year-old daughter Lynn to attend a funeral. On the street, Gene and Lynn are pulled aside by Mr. Smith and Ms. Jones, who flash what look like police badges and usher them into a van. Gene soon discovers that he's been kidnapped, and his captors have an unusual demand that is if Gene does not murder Gov. Eleanor Grant within 75 minutes, his daughter will be killed. Gene now has just an hour and a quarter to tip off the authorities, spare Gov. Grant, and find out what Smith and Jones are trying to do, along with saving his daughter's life. He finds a much-needed ally in one-legged shoe-shine man Huey.

This is a fast and furious 90 minutes that doesn't waste a second.Also,it is an exciting albeit illogical tale of mystery and suspense.Unfortunately,this is an average movie that was saved by the excellent performances of the cast particularly Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken. Aside from that,the plot is clichéd and predictable as well as it has been already seen in many movies before even with "real time" involved in the premise.

I actually really enjoyed this movie. It asks many questions about what a person would do in an impossible situation. The script is well done, funny and totally unpredictable. It is also quite original. This movie is certainly worth watching.

The premise of this movie simply does not work. Johnny Depp's character is supposed to be forced to kill the governor during a campaign presentation or else his daughter will be killed. But, too many people are involved for the plot to be plausible, including the governor's husband and her security guards. Depp gets too many time reprieves and even passes up the chance to kill the kidnapper holding his daughter captive. This movie's plotline is not rooted in reality at all and the viewer must suspend all notions of reality to participate in this movie. Don't waste your time or money on this one. See Depp in "Don Juan DeMarco" instead.

Undeservedly rubbished by some critics this film is a tense real-time thriller showcasing the acting might of Messrs Depp & Walken. Walken steals the film (what's new?) as the ubiquitous villain of the piece while Depp's taut portrayal of the emotionally stretched father is both believable and captivating. It is still Walken's "I love that guy" speech that sticks firmly in the mind making one truly root for the hero whilst despising (yet respecting) the nemesis. The inspiration for the format for "24", the original and still the best. If you're looking for a tense thriller watch "The Game". If you're looking for escapism, effortless acting & an jolly romp of a movie then this is your puppy.

This one'll have you firmly glued to your seat, you'd better make the necessary preparations beforehand. The suspense is maintained up till the last few minutes and you really wonder how on earth the crisis is going to resolve itself. Highly recommended for those with strong nerves !!!

An unimpressive, every-day man (John Depp) is forced into a situation where he is told to kill a politician to save his kidnapped daughter (Courtney Chase).

I simply cannot express my level of disappointment. Johnny Depp has his good movies and bad movies, and so does Christopher Walken. But together, you would think this would be a surefire hit. Walken is pretty good as the menacing bad guy... but Depp, he just seems lost in the material.

The concept and plot are fine, but it seems to run on and on, and how many times can one guy bump into the governor? There are some plausibility questions, but we can ignore those. Really, it just comes down to Depp not selling the role.

A suspense thriller that gets by on a tense plot with the audience unable to see the outcome, which becomes evermore tedious which each repeat viewing.

Mild-mannered Mr Watson has ninety minutes to kill the governor, or his little girl will be murdered, and everyone he turns to for help is in on it. A shame there is nothing else to the film.

The opening credits with close-ups of clocks and guns should set the tone for the film, which comes across more like a television episode than a motion picture, full of amateurish tilty cameras and endlessly repetitive scenes to stress the predicament Mr Watson is in, but just make it hard to watch. The lack of character development, and the fact that some scenes do not include Mr Watson make what John Badham is going for in his direction a mystery.

Christopher Walken as Mr Smith, the hit man forcing Mr Watson into this situation, is more irritating than scary, as he constantly pops up and checks his watch, as if he is waiting for Mr Watson to finish in a shopping queue rather than commit murder.

The climax is a disappointment, as the whole film balances on the audience's desire to know how Mr Watson will get out of this situation, only to find at the climax he still has no idea, and the final shot of the film, of the man behind it all getting away is redundant, as both Watson and the governor know he is in on it, so he's going to get caught.

Enjoyable suspenseful thriller if there's nothing better on, but not of good enough quality, and not one for repeat viewings.

If you've seen one clichéd, formulaic, predictable action-thriller than you've already seen Nick of Time. The story centers around the recently widowed Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) and his daughter who are stopped by two 'police officers' when they get off their train. The mysterious Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) hands Gene a pistol and a picture of a Governor; he then tells Gene that he has ninety minutes to kill the woman or his daughter's life will be taken instead. Thus ensues a mildly entertaining journey of Gene trying to figure a way out, while Smith barks orders at him the entire time. Walken's performance is way too over-the-top and I'm hoping that Depp only did this film because of how vastly diverse it is from his other 1995 release, Jim Jarmusch's surreal western Dead Man. Nick of Time contains every cliché in the book and the finale is completely predictable and unrealistic. Some mild entertainment, a very short running time and the fact that I always love to watch Depp barely make up for the formulaic mess this film is.