Nick of Time Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Nick of Time Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 22, 2022

There aren't a ton of "real time" movies out there. Running Time is one of the notables and another one is Director John Badham's (Saturday Night Fever, WarGames) Nick of Time, a tight if not trite little Thriller about a man who must make a series of life-or-death choices in the span of the 80-some minutes the movie runs. The film does nothing truly creative or innovative as the clock ticks, reverting to typical Thriller motifs and scenarios, but a solid lead performance and a story that somehow overcomes its own generic vibes manages to hold the audience's attention, making it one of the more satisfying escapes of its kind.

Recently widowed father of one, Gene Watson (Johnny Depp), has just arrived in Los Angeles with his young daughter Lynn (Courtney Chase). Little do they know that in a matter of moments Gene will have only moments to make a life and death decision that will impact him and his daughter for the rest of their lives. Gene and Lynn are forced into a van by a couple of individuals posing as cops known as "Mr. Smith" (Christopher Walken) and "Ms. Jones" (Roma Maffia). Lynn is occupied with coloring books and headphones while Gene is given very explicit instructions: murder California's campaigning governor, Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason), or he and Lynn will surely die. Given a gun and a pass that will get him into any event on the governor's itinerary over the next hour-plus, Gene must make a horrible choice as he comes to realize that there is no escaping his predicament without someone's blood being shed.

Before Johnny Depp was best known for the flamboyant Jack Sparrow and playing a litany of other eccentric characters, he proved capable of playing the "everyman" quite well in Nick of Time. The bad guys deliberately seek him out not because he's a muscled superhero but because he loves his daughter and his constant gravitational pull to her. He's not one, they think, to muster up any machismo heroics, making him an unwilling, but nevertheless obliging, participant in their scheme. Throughout the film, as they story develops perfectly in sync with the watch on his wrist, Gene must find a way to find some help. Unfortunately, the conspiracy goes much further than a couple of crooks with eyes in the backs of their heads and his daughter in a van. Gene quickly realizes that only his own gumption, limited though it may be, and hopefully the sympathetic hear of a talkative disabled hotel shoe shiner (Charles S. Dutton), can get him out his predicament.

The film takes any number of twists and turns, mostly from how Smith always seems to be a step ahead of Gene and how every time Gene tries to find help, he only finds more people in on the assassination conspiracy. The film is energetic but also grounded, balancing mild action and high intensity drama with solid characterization. The performances are solid, with Depp leading the way as the "everyman" hero and doing well to balance his fear and his determination to save his daughter, and if he can the governor and himself. Walken plays Walken, which is fine, and Dutton is great as the shoeshine man who may be the most likeable character in the film.

Nick of Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings Nick of Time to Blu-ray with an OK-ish 1080p transfer that only manages to claw its way up to mid-grade. Like Clockstoppers, Nick of Time can look good at-a-glance but its shortcomings become evident as the viewer looks a little harder. It's not a terrible picture but it's clear that there are some ebbs and flows across a fairly wide spectrum of problems that prevent it from achieving that desirably fresh film-like look. The picture suffers from the odd speckle and fiber and somewhat poor compression at times, revealing some blocky backgrounds, but this is not the image's chief concern. Grain management is almost always questionable. At times it appears overly coarse, clumpy, and chunky rather than fine and organic. In these shots, core textures hold up nicely enough, revealing capable, though hardly noteworthy, core definition and density. At other times, grain appears almost scrubbed away – especially through much of the second half – leaving the image smooth and details far below ideal. The image never looks waxy, but this is far from perfect, and the image frequently can only hover in that "just a bit above an upscaled DVD" level. Colors are not particularly a strength, either. There's fair depth at times and a feel of fading in others. Never does the image just explode with vibrant primaries and intense secondaries. This is a fairly pedestrian color output, which also carries to whites, blacks, and skin tones. This is watchable, but videophiles will wish for something better.

Nick of Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Nick of Time features a time-tested DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The 5.1 configuration proves its worth from the outset as a heavy Amtrack train rumbles through the stage, as the breaks squeal and it grinds to a halt outside the station. Various public address announcements and crowd din help better set the scene with impressive immersion into the area. Most of the film's music and action elements are in good working order, all of them lacking the sort of lifelike detail found in the best track but at least presenting with some sense of space and detail, enough to nicely compliment the story and draw the listener into it. There's a fine sense of front-back balance at work. The subwoofer doesn't belt out any prodigious notes but it's more than capable in delivering essential audio cues. Dialogue can be a little shallow. Listen to some of the exchanges in the train station for good examples. Most of the time it's clear enough and well prioritized as it remains more or less grounded in the front-center channel.

Nick of Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplement included with this Blu-ray release of Nick of Time is the film's Trailer (1080p, 4x3, 2:22). No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Nick of Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nick of Time was one of this reviewer's favorites during the LaserDisc era. The film has held up well enough, not quite as well as memory serves but it's still a fairly smart, sharp, and engaging Thriller. The pacing is good, the performances are solid, and the story, while rote, engages just enough to keep the audience caring about the resolution. Paramount's Blu-ray is a bit of a disappointment. The 5.1 lossless audio track is fine but the 1080p video is acceptable-to-iffy and there are no supplements of note. Still, it comes recommended based on the movie proper.