Nick Of Time

In John Badham's NICK OF TIME, Johnny Depp stars as Gene Watson, a mild-mannered, widowed accountant, and the father of six-year-old Lynn (Courtney Chase). While in Los Angeles's Union Station, they are abducted by a mysterious couple posing as police officers, Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) and Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia). They give Gene a loaded gun and these orders--assassinate the "flaming liberal" governor of California (Marsha Mason) within the next 90 minutes, or they will kill his beloved daughter. Gene reluctantly agrees, and is taken to the Bonaventure Hotel where the governor is making an appearance. Tension mounts as the clock ticks, and Gene must outwit his conniving kidnappers. Shot in real time, the action of the movie is documented in the actual 90 minute running time of the movie. As Gene faces his gruesome task, minutes slip away, creating a palpible tension and a breathtaking reminder of every agonising second. Walken is at his devilish best, wickedly tormenting the innocent hero. Reminiscent of Hitchcockian heros, Gene is an ordinary man trapped in an extraordinary situation, forced to act before it is too late.