Thursday, 31 March 2011
Nick of Time
The film opens with Gene Watson, a mild-mannered, widowed accountant arriving with his daughter Lynn to a train station in Los Angeles.
As Watson makes a payphone call informing an unidentified person that his train was late, two mysterious strangers in suits, named Smith and Jones, survey the station from a catwalk, discussing a yet-to-be-elaborated scheme. Noticing Watson retaliate against a skater who was harassing his daughter, Smith and Jones set their sights on him and swiftly approach the pair.
Showing a badge, the two strangers convince Watson that they are police officers and whisk both father and daughter into a van without justification. Once in the vehicle, Watson begins to notice things aren't right and gets nervous, but Smith subsequently pistol whips Watson in the leg to get his attention.
Smith then informs Watson that they will kill his daughter unless he murders a woman depicted in a photograph. He soon learns that the woman is State Governor Eleanor Grant and realizes that killing her would be a suicide mission.
Once at the Bonaventure Hotel (where a campaign stop is being held) Watson makes several attempts to warn people about his situation, but Smith consistently follows him around, taunts and viciously beats him whenever he doesn't make a move. Watson manages to find a young campaign assistant, Krista who believes Watson's story and encourages him to report the matter to the governor's husband, Brendan Grant. Once in his suite, however, the husband and a campaign lobbyist appear to disbelieve the story, and before anything more can be said, the psychopathic Smith shows up in the room and fatally shoots Krista, causing a tense scuffle between Watson and Smith.
Watson awakens after unconsciousness and finds nearly everyone on the campaign, including the governor's staff and husband, are involved in the plot, with an unnamed right-wing lobbyist masterminding it all.
Watson eventually finds disabled veteran who polishes people's shoes at the hotel. While at first he doesn't believe Watson, Smith talks to Watson about the plot, believing the shoe cleaner to be completely deaf according to a sign. The hotel employee reluctantly assists Watson to get to Governor Grant's suite and advise her of the conspiracy. Although skeptical at first, she later notices her husband acting suspiciously and realizes Watson was telling the truth.
Being hastened by her husband to make the last speech, the governor greets supporters in a ballroom when Watson takes out the gun, points it at a projector room where Smith is watching him and shoots at the window. This unleashes a panic in the ballroom, causing a stampede and brief shootout between Watson and the security people.
In the meantime, the shoeshine man stalls the armed Jones (who is in the van with Watson's daughter, Lynn) after she can't get a signal from Smith, and he annoys her to the point of a violent confrontation. Lynn quickly tries to get out of the van when Smith opens the door and begins to shoot at her. Right after she hides under the seat, Watson appears and shoots Smith, killing him. Before Jones can get a clear shot at the father and daughter, the shoeshine man beats her unconscious with his prosthetic leg.
How does this relate to my radio play?
Content: The idea of how far would you go to save the one you love.
Characterisation: Gene Watson(Johnny Depp's character) relates to Billy as does Christopher Walken's character who could relate to Rory and Emmett.
Genre: Adventure and the idea that time is running out
This film relates to my radio play because it shows how far someone would go for a person they care about. Even though in this film it is the relationship between Father and Daughter and with mine it's about lovers there is still the fact that the main character in this risks everything to save his daughter which is similar to both Helena and Billy risking everything to stay together in a relationship. Howwever this could also relate to Helena's family as they risk everything and decide to hide at the beginning of the radio play. It is clear that all of their relationships are strong compared to Billy's relationship with his parents and that they would do anything for their family.
Another way this film relates to my radio play is the certain sense of adventure and time running out for the character which is comparable to Billy's and Helena's adventure and the feeling that there time is running out as Helena carries on staying in the camp. The character that Christopher Walken plays could also be similar to Emmett and Rory as all characters appear to be violent and short tempered when they do not get what they want. They also torture people and are sly in their actions through the way Christopher Walken's character blackmails with Johnny depp and Emmett and Rory interrogate Helena abotu the book.
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