Split Second

A very intense early movie about criminals holding civilian hostages in a deserted town that will be used in an atomic bomb test in Nevada the next moring. The criminals believe that the police won't search,the town before the test time which will be at 6:00 a.m. There is tremenmdous drama between the crimminals inside a room in the town as a cat an mouse develops between the criminals and the hostages. As fate would have it, the atomic test is moved up to 5.00 a.m. wothout everyone knowing it, and there is ony 15 minutes till it happens. The movie climaxes as the criminals race to get out of the test town and the hoistages need to find refuge somwhere before the explosion.I leave the ending to the viewers so as not to spoil the climax..

Somewhere, in the recesses of my mind, I had a vague memory of a scene from an old black-and-white movie in which Alexis Smith and a carload of hoodlums hightailed it through the desert fleeing the impending detonation of an atomic bomb. I must have watched this on the late, late show at some point during my childhood but that particular scene stayed with me even though nothing else did. Many years later, in an online movie discussion group, I brought up the scene and one of the members suggested that it might be a somewhat neglected film from the fifties called "Split Second". Without further adieu, I located the DVD on amazon and promptly ordered it. Sure enough, this release from the Warner Brothers film archive is the film I'd been racking my brain over for several decades. Happily, it didn't disappoint.The story of a trio of escaped killers who hole up in a desert ghost town with a handful of hostages while the clock ticks down on a nearby A-Bomb test, "Split Second" is a tense, sturdy little thriller that doesn't get bogged down in too much exposition. Stephen McNally is terrific and menacing as the chief bad guy, a violent, horny and unblinking sociopath who reminds me a little of Bogart in his bad-guy roles, and is every bit as believable. Paul Kelly and Frank de Cova convincingly play his partner's-in-crime, while Keith Andes makes a determined foe in the role of a reporter who doesn't flinch from the trio's threats and intimidation. In an early role, the lovely Jan Sterling plays a dancer Andes picks up along the way, and Arthur Hunnicut is slyly amusing as a local desert-rat. And then there's Alexis Smith as the philandering wife on the run with her latest lover (a full-of-baloney Robert Paige). Smith, at her glamorously slutty best playing this almost-femme-fatale, manages to remain self-centered and cunning to the very end.Filmed in 1953, "Split Second" was former song-and-dance man Dick Powell's directorial debut, and the movie demonstrates an assurance honed by several decades in Hollywood. There have, apparently, been some points of contention, one of which involves the screenplay turning McNally's character into too much of a philosopher (and thus slowing things down). Personally, I don't find this to be an issue at all. There have always been philosophic villains in movies, and here, I just thinks it adds another layer of interest to this character without much affecting the pacing. Reminiscent of movies from "The Petrified Forest" to "Let The Corpses Tan", "Split Second" is a worthy, professionally crafted mid-level thriller that is entertaining without being too taxing.

Love this early “Nuke “ movie. Suspense was great!

Seen this movie on Turner Classic but I only got to see the middle of it have been waiting for TCM to run it but they did so I decided to buy the movie love it

A bit dry. The big buildup is waiting to see if the characters being held hostage in a ghost town will be able to escape an atomic blast. The rest is a typical melodrama.

I highly recomend this movie to anyone who likes real suspense. Good action, plot development and wonderful direction by Dick Powell. This movie is proof positive that you don't need constant action to maintain tension, an unforgivable deadline with an atomic bomb is a great substitute.

Good cast and storyline. Heavy on emotions and danger.

this is my favorite Film Noir movie. combines 1950 nuclear testing, gangsters, etc.

Good acting with really bad bad guys and hot dames! If the end is a little fantastic the special effects for the old days is excellent!

I have the French release (in English obviously) of this early 50s classic, worth buying for its title alone, 'Meme Les Assassins Tremblent.'The film starts with a prison breakout by vicious and notorious cold blooded killer, Stephen McNally (brilliant in this) and his only prison friend Paul Kelly. Kelly's character is badly wounded in the breakout and this gradually becomes key to the plot. The escapees meet up with mute fellow con 'Dummy' on the outside and whilst en route to a ghost town hideout pick up various hostages, including Jan Sterling and Alexis Smith.Well known actor Dick Powell (Murder, My Sweet) directs and skilfully ratchets up the tension, the impending nearby Atom Bomb test certainly helps in this. Unexpected plot twists and the growing frictions and changing allegiances amongst the trapped, increasingly desperate group of goodies, baddies (Alexis Smith is yellow to the core) and 'inbetweenies', plus the skilled ensemble cast keep things on the boil throughout.Also starring Richard Egan and Arthur Hunnicutt it's a top notch thriller.

A dark tale of torture, fear and death. I saw this on tv in the late 60s, and it terrified me. Maybe this was too strong for a 11 year old to watch. But is was a film that stayed with me. The mystery of the box, the duplicity and evil of the baddies and the final scene where the sound of the evil in the box scared the wits out of me !

Worth watching for the situation and the ensemble acting.

Brilliant! Dick Powell does a fantastic job as director and the starry cast respond with very convincing performances. We were really impressed with this film and can highly recommend it.