I recently watched the 1995 thriller, Nick of Time, and it was great. Unfortunately, this film was a box office bust. It cost $33 million to make and only brought in a little over $8 million. Part of this lackluster return may have been because of dismal reviews from critics. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it only received a 29% approval rating, which is shocking considering the gripping narrative and wonderful cast. For me, what made this film so good was Christopher Walken’s performance; Walken always excels as a villain, and this was one of his greatest roles ever. Johnny Depp also did a terrific job and the supporting cast, including the always-consistent Charles S. Dutton, was strong across the board. Ignore the naysayers and give Nick of Time a shot. It’s a compelling thriller that’ll keep your attention from start to finish and make you wonder how Christopher Walken is able to effortlessly embody a deliciously villainous role.

Below’s the film’s synopsis and trailer, as well as a clip highlighting Christopher Walken’s stellar performance. Enjoy!

Synopsis 

A stranger pulled into a deadly scheme races against time to save his daughter in this thriller. Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) is an accountant who comes to L.A. with his ten-year-old daughter Lynn (Courtney Chase) to attend a funeral. On the street, Gene and Lynn are pulled aside by Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) and Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia), who flash what look like police badges and usher them into a van. Gene soon discovers that he’s been kidnapped, and his captors have an unusual demand — if Gene does not murder Gov. Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason) within 75 minutes, his daughter will be killed. Gene now has just an hour and a quarter to tip off the authorities, spare Gov. Grant, and find out what Smith and Jones are trying to do, along with saving his daughter’s life. He finds a much-needed ally in one-legged shoe-shine man Huey (Charles S. Dutton).