Nick of Time - Great fun nineties thriller

I know it's kind of hard to see Johnny Depp as anything else than a smooth-talking pirate captain (and that's even before his star power has waned slightly!), but - believe it or not - once upon a time, he was a fresh-faced young lad who wouldn't look out of place in your average boyband.

In the 'Nick of Time' he plays a loving father of a young girl who, while taking her to a new city via train, gets accosted by a couple of rogue security agents who hold his child hostage in exchange for him assassinating a political target.  

Okay, so the premise is a little far-fetched and you may be asking yourself, 'Why doesn't he just go to the authorities?' the moment he gets the chance.  However, the script actually does a good job of filling in all these types of 'plot holes' courtesy of one Christopher Walken.  He's the main villain, hell-bent on getting Depp to do his dirty work - and he's at his most sleazy and intimidating here.  It's almost like Depp is playing the 'straight man' to Walken's hissing viper of a man and Walken is on top form here.

Depp's on screen daughter doesn't get much screen time and that's no bad thing.  Kids in adult films can be hit or miss and, although she doesn't seem too bad, I doubt she could handle too much attention in centre stage.

The other character worth mentioning is played by Charles S Dutton (whatever happened to him?) as a well-meaning, but slightly reluctant, shoe shiner who may just be able to offer Depp a hand.  He's a nice touch to the film and adds more than just an 'escape route' for depth, but someone to play off.

Overall, I'd give 'Nick of Time' a go.  Yes, I'm sure you'll think that no matter how tight the writing is, there are still one or two times you'll have to suspend your disbelief in order to get maximum enjoyment out of this film.  It's still a lot of fun.  It's a tight, tense little thriller with a great cast and, although no surprises in the long run, is just great fun to watch.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one