SPLIT SECOND

SPLIT SECOND (1992)
UK
Directed by Tony Maylam

CAST:
Rutger Hauer - Harley Stone
Kim Cattrall - Michelle
Alastair Duncan - Dick Durkin

PLOT:
     In a futuristic London, the rising sea levels mean that large areas are under feet of water. Hauer plays a cop who previously lost his partner to some strange creature. Now the creature is back.
 
REVIEW:
     There's something to be said about "B" movies. Most of the time they're throw away stories, thrown to beginning or toward the end of their career directors. Then there are some that love the stories and the absurdity of the story and run with and make the movie more than what it looked like. Some good "B" movies are Star Wars (original trilogy) and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then there are bad "B" movies such as Ice Pirates and Krull, that even though they are bad, they still have a special place in peoples hearts. Thankfully Split Second is of the former category. Now I'm not saying that Split Second is going to win any awards. In fact it didn't, it just kind of came and went when it was released, not even making back it's estimated budget of $7 million. And it's a damn shame also. The movie isn't Shakespeare and it doesn't try to be, but it also doesn't try to be stupid either which helps the movie.

     I should go ahead and say that Rutger Hauer's Stone is a asshole straight out, and the movie doesn't try to hide that fact one bit. Stone though is a lovable asshole. Every person knows someone like this, where that person can just get on your nerves but has a certain charm to them. Stone is that. I'll give credit to Hauer for making his character this way due to the fact that he sells it completely and doesn't try to hide it and Stone is more of a believable character for that. Even when he get's freaked halfway through the movie after looking at a little girl, he doesn't oversell it like some actors would. Besides, you have to love a character that calls a dog a dickhead and talks to it like it's a suspect. Even during those times he doesn't go overboard by looking like he's nuts, just someone that has seen to much, and doesn't care what other people think of him. All of this is due to Hauer's restrained performance which, as usual, is amazing to watch. Alistair Duncan is also fun to watch in this film as Dick Durkin, but more toward the middle to the end than at the start of the film. At the beginning of the movie Durkin is a not quite a new recruit, uptight worried about reports, and frankly, just a bore. That changes halfway through thankfully when Durkin gets a look at the creature in the movie. Let's just say there are some pretty fun moments due to this and to me he also gets the best lines in the movie. Duncan just cuts loose with the character and you can tell he's having fun with it and the movie doesn't suffer for it either, in fact it makes the movie more fun.

     Now the look of the film isn't nothing to write home about, but it's believable and that helps the movie. London is supposed to be flooding due to rising water from global warming and smog is everywhere and the settings look it. Everything just feels run down and dirty yet nothing seems out of place. From the Stone's apartment to the sewers at the end of the movie, everything is believable in this world which in turn makes the whole world feel more realistic. Maylam doesn't try anything weird in the movie, he does what can be called on adequate job as there is nothing flashy or showy in his directing style. In fact during some of the action scenes some of the action gets lost due to this and confusing, such as the shootout in the apartment. I should note that Ian Sharp directed the final sequences in the movie though in the sewer when the action is a little more easy to keep track of thankfully. My one real gripe is that at the end of the movie you see water bubbling in the sewer and the shot stays on it just a tad too long. Same when Hauer is holding the heart in his hand. We get the picture, they studio was hoping to get a sequel out of this movie. The creature effects in the movie are decent as well, not amazing though, as it looks like a cross between an Alien and a Predator almost, but the director knows how to hide this by making sure the creature pretty much stays obscured or in the shadows most of the movie.

     Even though Split Second has it's flaws, it's still a fun and enjoyable movie that doesn't try to be more than what it is, it just tries to do it the best it can. It does this by the actors in the movie more than anything and a good story and script that doesn't try to explain everything and lets the audience decide what the creature is for their self, while also not being completely stupid and idiotic at the same time.  I'll go ahead and say that it's a shame that the movie didn't get more love when it came out as it's pure fun. Hell, even Kim Cattrall does a decent job in the movie. So if you can find a copy of this movie, or can borrow it from a friend, try to make some time to watch it. You'll have fun and even laugh a little also.

BEST DEATH:
     The creatures.

BEST LINE:
     Did you see him?
     That wasnae a him, that was a fucking it! We need to get bigger guns. BIG FUCKING GUNS!

FUN FACTS:
      Kim Cattrall still had her haircut from filming Star Trek VI while filming Split Second.