Split Second (1992) from Tuna

Split Second (1992) features Rutger Hauer reprising the Nick Nolte role in 48 hours. It is London, early 21st century. London is flooded due to global warming, pollution makes living difficult at best, and the city is plagued by rats. A serial killer is loose, and killed Hauer's partner, which sent Hauer off the deep end. Hauer has been suspended, but, when the killer strikes again, ripping the heart out of his victim, and eating half of it, then sending the rest to Hauer at the police station, Hauer is reinstated and given a new partner fresh from school, Dick Durkin (played by Neil Duncan). Durkin is mostly there for comic relief, and does provide many of the high points of the film. Hauer never really establishes a clear character, but rather rants and rails about everything.

NUDITY REPORT

see the main commentary

DVD info from Amazon.

  • 4-disc Box Set

  • Full-screen format

Kim Cattrall plays Hauer's ex-partner's wife, whom Hauer had an affair with in the past. We see her breasts when interrupted in the shower by Hauer. Tina Shaw plays a nightclub stripper, exposing her breasts and buns.

I was not impressed. Hauer was in every scene, and didn't really take the character anywhere. It was no great surprise that the killer wasn't human, and, while long on atmosphere, the film was light on suspense.
 

The Critics Vote

The People Vote ...

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C-.

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