What do you do when you’re given the deadline for the end of the world? Steve De Jarnatt’s insidiously clever and utterly gripping nuclear thriller begins as a romantic lark—amiable swing trombonist Anthony Edwards meets girl of his dreams Mare Winningham—and turns into a nightmarish vision of society out of control. It all turns on the chance pick-up of a ringing pay phone at 4 a.m. and a panicked voice breathlessly warning Edwards that World War III has been launched. Genuine wake-up call or elaborate prank? De Jarnatt plays his hand close to the chest, which only increases the unnerving tension as word spreads like a contagion. Future E.R. star Edwards is perfectly cast as the everyman driven to reckless desperation and director De Jarnatt creates wonders on a small budget. His vision of L.A.’s Miracle Mile gripped in the blind panic of a careening traffic jam is both believable and chilling. —amazon.com editorial review.
I liked the beginning and the ending of this movie because it hit the right notes tonally and emotionally. The middle of the film, however, didn't work for me because it seemed confused about what genre it was. Is it a comedy? A drama? A romance? A disaster movie? The film seems to want to be all these genres, but it doesn't work. It's a mess. I liked the ending of the film a lot though.
This is a gen of a film. IT's dated which hurts it but also adds to it's charm a film worht discovering. I like that there are many directions it could have gone but felt sure enough in it's story that it stuck to it's own points. The leads are unconditional but it makes it feel real. This was almost a twilight zone film. It is a depressing film, but the end feels More truthful.
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