Pretty Good

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A Masterpiece!

Blistering performances.

This film is not for everyone and I completely understand those who will not like it because this is not an analytical film filled with easter eggs of messages pertaining to social importance, apart from maybe its apocalyptic theme. Rather it is kind of "fast food" cinema. However these are the kind of films that can be very fun to watch. It also holds some nostalgic content for me because I saw it as an impressionable teenager. At that time I was into action, sci-fi, horror and comedy films. This film attempts to blend them together and does a good enough job, especially if you are the kind of person who can just sit back with your popcorn and enjoy the movie, than you are capable of enjoying this film.Yes it has a bunch of components which were prevalent in this type of genre at the time. One-liners, a buddy cop relationship, action and a bit of comedy, and of course BIG F***ING GUNS. I'm not embarrassed to say I enjoyed it. Rutger Hauer provides a good performance as the unstable yet admirable lead character who functions on "anxiety, coffee and chocolate". Yet another cliché as he is unwillingly partnered with Dick Durkin, from the moment you hear his name you know that he is there to provide some comedic relief as the pair track down "The Scorpio Killer" who Rutger's character Harley Stone seems to have a unique connection with. He and Durkin work together to bring down the killer who turns out to be much more than they imagined. The film has some memorable and stand out actors in the supporting cast such as Kim Cattrall, Pete Postlethwaite and Alun Armstrong. The latter providing one of my most favorite moments in the film when he snaps and exclaims "What do I do? Put out an APB on the devil? answers to the name of Lucifer?" The way he delivers it is quite priceless. The antagonist also provides a very real threat level and kept somewhat obscure as to the motives and patterns involved, until quite late in the film which helps to keep you engaged. All in all a quite predictable but enjoyable film.

I remember Split Second being a rather popular rental title in the early 90s and everyone seemed to have seen it but me. Even the reviews I read at the time were generally favorable despite the dubious plot synopsis. Now, all this time later when I had all but completely forgotten that the movie even exists, I gave it a go. It's not good.Set in a future 2008 London this is not a city permanently haloed by TV choppers circling the HSBC building capturing footage to illustrate the recent banking crisis to half-witted viewers. No, this is a gloomier alternate London that has no financial district and has been flooded by global warming and torrential rain. Rats thrive in the shadows, decay and despair have stained every backdrop, and a serial killer is stalking the streets. Tough cop Harley Stone (Rutger Hauer, slumming it as usual) has a vendetta with said killer after the death of his partner but uses a new-found psychic connection to his advantage. His new, goofball partner immerses himself in occult research and tries to deliver expository dialogue on the nature of the killer but it's all a load of codswallop. Split Second tries to present itself as a low-budget hybrid of Blade Runner and Predator 2 but instead is more like Friday the 13th crossed with Alien. The final "reveal" of the killer is very disappointing and makes no sense whatsoever. Not only does it look like it was made out of bin liners and paste but its physicality does not fit with anything that it has done throughout the movie. And why is it wearing a helmet? Even the tagline makes no sense. "He's seen the future and now he has to kill it." Say what???The filmmakers have no clue what this thing is supposed to be. Extra terrestrial? Mutant? Demon? Devil? All of the above and none of the above? It's never defined, it doesn't add up. They chuck a smearing of hokum into the exposition hoping that some of it will work but it simply doesn't. Fast and Furious creator Gary Scott Thompson is the man behind the script but it's obvious that London was not the original location (perhaps New York as it is liable to flooding in the future) and has merely but cut- and-pasted despite localisation issues (UK cops are not armed with guns).The movie has some satisfyingly rough edges, particularly in the overlit and grainy cinematography that will remind of other British horror films of the same vintage such as Hellraiser or Paperhouse. Kim Cattrall shows us her pleasing breasts a few times, and the cheap synth score (by no one you've ever heard of) fits the grimy atmosphere. There are a couple of nice aerial shots of a London long gone but that's it for establishing the location. Since the climax was helmed by a completely different director I can't shake the notion that there was some behind-the-scenes trouble. The ending is so disappointing and rushed but I was still sort of glad that it was over. Split Second squanders the potential of the setting and theme and is never all it could be.

I have not reviewed a movie on IMDb in over ten years, but when a movie's this bad, I can't help myself.I wanted to like this because of Rutger Hauer and his performance in Blade Runner. The first time I tried to watch this movie, I turned it off because it violated my rule of sucking within the first ten minutes. However, I gave it a second chance. Big f**king mistake. I honestly don't see how this averaged 6.2 on IMDb."Split Second" rips off Blade Runner, Alien, Aliens, and countless others. I see why the killer isn't really shown until the finale. At first, I thought it was to build more suspense like in Jaws or Alien. No, it's because the killer/villain's costume was a piece of s**t."6.2"...get the f**k outta here.

"Split Second" is the epitome of "90's fun", or whatever you want to call this fantastic brand of entertainment. If you appreciate classics like "Big Trouble in Little China", "Tango and Cash", "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai…", it means you have the sense of humor to add this one to the collection. And "Split Second" is simply splendid because:1. It is very funny on all levels. (mostly so bad it's good, but it's hilarious, intentionally or not) 2. It stars Rutger Hauer as a flawed, sugar-eating super-cop of the future. The man rules! It's clear he's having a lot of fun with his part, you've got to admire that. Very, very funny (although bloody), insane movie with a laughable plot, and it doesn't take itself seriously. I mean, when you indulge yourself in a guilty pleasure, you should go all the way, what the hell… So, "Split Second" is the perfect choice.