Nick of Time (film)
| Nick of Time | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Badham |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Patrick Sheane Duncan |
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| Music by | Arthur B. Rubinstein |
| Cinematography | Roy H. Wagner |
| Edited by |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $33 million |
| Box office | $8,175,346 (United States) |
Nick of Time is a 1995 American neo noir political thriller film, directed by John Badham, and starring Johnny Depp, Christopher Walken, Charles S. Dutton, and Courtney Chase. It is noteworthy for taking place in real time.
The film opens with Gene Watson (Johnny Depp), a mild-mannered, widowed accountant arriving with his daughter Lynn at the Union Station in Los Angeles. As Watson makes a pay phone call informing an unidentified person that his train was late, two mysterious strangers in suits, known only as Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) and Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia), 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 are not right and gets nervous, but Smith subsequently pistol whips him in the leg to get his attention. Smith then informs Watson that they will kill his daughter by 1:30 p.m. unless he murders a woman depicted in a photograph. He soon learns that the woman is State Governor Eleanor Grant and realizes that killing her would be a suicide mission.
Once at the Bonaventure Hotel, where a number of campaign appearances are 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 does not make a move. Watson manages to find a young campaign assistant, Krista Brooks, who believes Watson's story and encourages him to report the matter to the governor's husband, Brendan Grant. Once in his suite, however, Brendan and a campaign lobbyist appear to disbelieve the story, and before anything more can be said, 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 masterminding it all in revenge for the governor not carrying out her campaign promises to his interests.
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