Split Second - Film Review

Anyone who knows me knows that I consider Blade Runner to be the greatest movie of all time. Obviously, this means that I generally consider Rutger Hauer to be a pretty groovy guy. Despite all of that, I actually haven't seen Hauer in many films. When Amazon recommended this one to me, the cyberpunk style and action movie cheesiness had me chomping at the bit to watch it! 

*

Where You Can Find It: I saw this one on Amazon Video where it is free for those that have an Amazon Prime account.

General Information 
Split Second is science fiction action film that originally released on 1 May 1992. It was directed by Tony Maylam (and later Ian Sharp) and written by Gary Scott Thompson with InterStar distributing. One of the most surprising things I learned about this film's release was that, despite the film's clear absurdity, it apparently had a box office release. Unfortunately, Split Second bombed at said box office by only recouping $5.4 of its $7 million budget. As far as I can tell, this film has no Metacritic page, while it also has no Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. It does retain an audience score of 56%.

This is one of those movies where the viewer is naturally going to question how/why this film was made. It's clear that this film wears its fondness for Blade Runner on its sleeve, which is why I'm not surprised that the role of of the protagonist was originally written for Harrison Ford instead of Hauer. Similarly, the film's change of location from Los Angeles to London is also abundantly clear as Hauer's non-English background clearly contrasts with the rest of the cast and its new setting. Lastly, the film's choice of antagonist is probably the most strange as it changed in appearance and design on multiple occasions. This really explains a lot as I would challenge any viewer to not be confused after viewing this film.

The Story

In the dystopian far future of 2008, burnt out homicide detective, Harley Stone (played by Rutger Hauer), is on the hunt for a vicious killer that he shares a psychic link with. After going rogue in his attempts to track the murderer, Stone's superiors saddle him with by-the-book police psychologist, Dick Durkin (Neil Duncan). As the duo collect clues, their investigation is only further complicated when Stone's ex-partner's wife and former lover, Michelle (Kim Cattrall), returns to London.

**

He's a loose cannon, especially after he finishes his coffee

It's abundantly clear that this film has no idea what it wants to be and the plot's changing themes reflects that. It starts off dark and gritty, but the noire style becomes so over-the-top that it becomes a parody of itself. The introduction of Dick Durkin shifts the story's tone to a buddy-cop comedy akin to Beverly Hills Cop, while the final act then morphs the film into a science fiction horror plot along the lines of Alien. The confusing themes grossly impact the cohesion of the overall plot, which eventually cause the viewer to throw their hands up in surrender and just accept the film as an unintentional comedy in its entirety. 

Stone's level of being burnt out is overplayed to the point of where he's an overt menace to society. I found myself genuinely agreeing with Stone's boss, Thrasher (Alun Armstrong), whenever he accused Stone of having lost his mind. The chemistry between Stone and Durkin is comically abusive, and even once the duo have "bonded," it comes off more like Durkin has succumbed to Stockholm Syndrome than actually having made a meaningful connection.

Special Effects/Atmosphere

The futuristic portrayal of London was surprisingly well done as the flooded streets, crumbling tenements, and seedy nightclubs all look pretty awesome. The opening segments make a good impression (which is unfortunately squandered) and the costume design only enhances this as everyone looks like they stepped right out of Neuromancer. The only exception to the good costume design is Kim Cattrall's Michelle, who sports a botched haircut that would make a hairstylist faint.

Some of the special effects and props are almost cartoonish with Stone's giant handgun standing out as the most obvious. The other guns are just as bad, as there are several scenes where the actors don't seem to know how to properly wield them. The gore and violence are excessive and unbalanced as some injuries leave behind gallons of blood sprayed on the walls, while Dick Durkin specifically demonstrates a superhuman resilience to gunfire and massive lacerations.

***

Then again... I'm not sure how one properly holds an automatic shotgun

The Acting

Rutger Hauer embraces his hammy role as Harley Stone with a gleeful sense of enthusiasm that is arguably on par with John Steiner's portrayal of Jaffar in Sinbad of the Seven Seas. When he's not grimacing and spouting one-liners, he's downing an unhealthy amount of coffee and chocolates. Beyond looking tough and angry though, we never see much else shown by Hauer's performance.

****

After this movie, I now believe Hauer has some type of psychic link with birds

I'm a big fan of Cattrall, but she has nothing to do (besides undressing) in this. Her character solely exists to be the damsel in distress for Stone and Durkin, which made me question why she was even brought on in the first place. Most people are likely familiar with her performance in Big Trouble in Little China, so it should go without saying that she is more than capable of acting in a schlocky action movie. Alas, her talents are wasted here as Michelle has little to do and nothing interesting to say.

The more I think about this movie, the more I find myself thinking less of Hauer and more of Neil Duncan as his ridiculous portrayal of Dick Durkin has become seared into my brain. All of Duncan's attempts at comedy fall flat, while Durkin's abuse at the hands of Stone is made only funnier by Duncan's rapid shift from straight-laced nerd to gun-toting badass. Although their characters were purposely different from one another, there were certainly times where I couldn't help but wonder who was having more fun making this movie: Hauer or Duncan. 

The Best of the Best: Seeing Dick Durkin get shotgun blasted out the window of a multi-storied apartment building only to be perfectly fine in the next scene.

The Worst of the Worst: Stone feeding a dog chocolate.

Calhooey Score: 4/10 - Below Average

Would I Recommend?

*****

Oh no, it's not that bad, Durkin

Split Second is a confusing mess, but it is an entertaining confusing mess. If you're looking for something obscure that mixes cheesy action movies with futuristic noire, this might just be for you. 

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• What if Stone is actually just genuinely insane in this movie, with his psychosis only getting worse as the film continues? This would totally explain why the film's themes fluctuate so wildly. It might just make this the most intelligent movie if you look at it that way.
• I started to think Durkin was the killer as his ability to survive death was clearly beyond regular human levels.
• The disgusting state of Stone's apartment perfectly aligns with his mental state.
• I'm curious how the Scorpio learned to write and why it felt the need to taunt Stone since it apparently has little in the ways of self-awareness.
• Also: Were-rat.

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

*Grey, O. (2016, February 12). Split Second film image. Retrieved from: https://orringrey.com/2016/02/12/split-second-1992/.

**Action Vest Adventure. (2015). Stone badass walk gif. Retrieved from: https://actionvestadventure.tumblr.com/post/98727783447/split-second-1992.

***Split Second. (1992). Stone and Durkin with automatic shotguns. Retrieved from: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/764660262950535180/797353132547375134/unknown.png.

****Split Second. (1992). Stone and the pigeon image. Retrieved from: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/764660262950535180/797344033579991060/unknown.png.

*****Split Second. (1992). Durkin swearing image. Retrieved from: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/764660262950535180/797353670684704794/unknown.png.