Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Split Second Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 1, 2015

Tony Maylam's "Split Second" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 101 Films. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a gallery with scenes from the Japanese cut of the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Caught

The future. In the year 2008, global warming has altered the atmosphere and London is submerged below water. Because of high levels of pollution, day has also become almost endless night.

Veteran cop Harley Stone (Rutger Hauer, The Hitcher, Flesh + Blood) is looking for the killer of his late partner. He tracks him down somewhere on the outskirts of the city, but loses him in a busy night club moments after he rips out the heart of his latest victim. Stone then goes berserk and ends up spending the night behind bars.

After he regains his composure, Stone is assigned a new partner, Dick Durkin (Alastair Duncan, Sleeping With Strangers), who quickly annoys him with his endless questions. Nevertheless, together they go back on the streets looking for the killer, but he always seems a few steps ahead of them. Eventually, the elusive killer attacks Stone’s girlfriend, Michelle (Kim Cattrall, Mannequin, Big Trouble in Little China).

Tony Maylam’s Split Second fits nicely somewhere between Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and John McTiernan’s Predator, though one can immediately tell that its creator had a much smaller budget to work with. Unsurprisingly, the visuals can’t be compared to those of Scott and McTiernan’s films, but the sense of paranoia that permeates Split Second is unquestionably similar to the one that defines the two cult classics.

The film is very effective if one sees it without knowing anything about the identity of the killer, but since 1992 various promotional materials have had major spoilers. This isn’t to imply that because of them the story suffers dramatically, but the entire second half has a very different vibe if one views it expecting a conventional resolution.

Hauer is the heart and soul of the film. Had his lines been uttered by a different actor the film likely would have been a massive disappointment, but his quirky style saves them and actually gives the film its identity. Because the majority of the time he does look like someone who truly is paranoid and does not care much if his life would end prematurely, the outbursts, general eeriness and graphic visuals blend wonderfully well. The end result is a very dark futuristic thriller that nearly manages to break some genre boundaries.

There are no big special effects, but this is something that actually helps the film a lot. Maylam and cinematographer Clive Tickner (Getting It Right) use a number of excellent locations and a variety of dark and cold colors and shadows to give the film what can best be described as an organic industrial look. The fact that the killer is kept in the dark for as long as possible also works to the film’s advantage.

The film’s hugely atmospheric soundtrack was composed and orchestrated by Stephen Parsons and Francis Haines. The soundtrack also features an outstanding cover of the classic “Nights in White Satin” performed by Colin Blunstone (The Alan Parsons Project/The Zombies).

Split Second Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tony Maylam's Split Second arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 101 Films.

The release has been sourced from a dated master and it shows practically everywhere. There are various close-ups where detail is rather decent, but during wider shots -- such as the panoramic shots showing the polluted London -- depth isn't convincing. The bulk of the film is also quite dark and the problematic shadow definition further exacerbates the flatness. The best news here is that there are no traces of recent attempts to resharpen and repolish the film. Also, color saturation should be better, but there is a decent range of (mostly weak) color tonalities. Overall image stability is good. All in all, the film does not look as convincing as it should and it is easy to see that there is plenty of room for various substantial improvements, but the current presentation is tolerable. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Split Second Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have not been provided for the main feature.

Music has a very important role in the film. It does not just enhance the tense atmosphere, it is an integral part of it. Fortunately, even though the audio has not been fully remastered, the lossless track opens up the film very well. Depth is especially good, though it is obvious that there is some room for improvement. The dialog is stable and free of background hiss. Also, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Split Second Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Japanese Cut Scenes - presented here are a few extra scenes that appeared on the Japanese cut of Split Second. I should say, however, that without them the film is far more effective. In English, with printed Japanese subtitles. (5 min).

Split Second Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tony Maylam's futuristic thriller Split Second fits somewhere between Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and John McTiernan's Predator, but I think that it would appeal primarily to folks who have a soft spot for Richard Stanley's Hardware. Similar to Hardware, it has a very unique atmosphere and a fantastic '90s soundtrack that make it perfect to see very late at night. The film could and should look a lot better on Blu-ray, but in the United States even the old DVD release is now out of print. If you can play Region-B discs, get a copy for your collection now, and let's hope that soon we will see a better local release. RECOMMENDED (with some reservations).