Review: Someone has an unfair advantage in ’Sixty Minutes to Midnight’ (Includes first-hand account)

As war and disasters increasingly normalize violence and death, people become immune to the bloody consequences… even more frighteningly, they can begin to crave the carnage. It’s been theorized that this phenomenon has led to an increase in brutality in movies and video games, which in turn has led to an increase in everyday aggression. This idea has been represented in fiction in a variety of ways and for much longer than the current potential culprits have existed. The latest to explore this lust for blood is an independent picture titled Sixty Minutes to Midnight, which turns surviving into a game that’s certainly fixed.

Jack (Robert Nolan) is a construction worker with few ties to the world. Consequently, the Vietnam veteran is opting to spend New Year’s Eve alone in his secluded cabin, watching television and finishing off a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. When his plans are jeopardized by a cable outage, Jack is surprised by the swift response of the provider on a holiday. However, he’s less impressed when he’s awoken by the voice of a smooth-talking game show host (Douglas Beaumont) that Jack can’t silence or avoid. What he sees next on the screen is implausible: it’s his own image as he’s introduced as this year’s contestant in a 60-minute game to the death. Soon, mercenaries are breaking into Jack’s home trying to kill him. Only they’ve underestimated their latest player, who isn’t going down without a fight.

A cross between The Running Man and Home Alone, this film combines the live audience’s lust for death and violence with a resourceful would-be victim that takes the fight to his intruders — Jack literally has the home advantage. In spite of their pre-game surveillance, the intruders cannot know the house as well as its nearly hermitic occupant. As an army veteran, it’s practically expected Jack would have weapons in the house, but they miscalculate his survival instinct and retention of his training. The game show host takes the defeat of their first attacker in stride; but as they near the end of the 60-minute time limit he becomes noticeably anxious, which he unfortunately expresses via an unconscionable bonus round.

Not quite unfolding in real-time, the ticking clock aspect of the narrative becomes secondary each time a fresh strike is waged. The game is obviously skewed in the invaders’ favour, as they have the numbers, an arsenal and surveillance technology; yet Jack continuously beats the odds… much to the unseen audience’s dismay, who respond to each of his victories with groans and boos. In spite of sounding like an annual event, the show clearly has a loyal, callous support base.

Outside of some intermittent scenes with his friend and co-worker, there are primarily only two individuals driving the film and the game: Jack and the host. The mercenaries are interchangeable and the other characters irrelevant. Jack is a loner but not curmudgeonly, which allows him to be resilient and likeable. Conversely, the game host is sarcastic, loud and vindictive. Their opposing personalities solidify the narrative’s conflict as much as the numerous gunfights.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

Director: Neil Mackay
Starring: Robert Nolan, Arnold Sidney and Terry McDonald

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘McFarland’ is strong from start to finish (Includes first-hand account)

    Underdog stories are always so appealing. Regardless of the sport or task, watching someone overcome various obstacles to prove wrong their peers and all the naysayers they’ve ever encountered can be quite inspiring. If the film is done right, the audience experiences every up and down with the character(s), and shares in their triumph when they’ve finally achieved their goal. McFarland (a.k.a. McFarland, USA) is done right.

  • Review: ‘Hostiles’ weaves a complex story in an equally complex setting (Includes first-hand account)

    The United States of America is a country born from conflict, so it’s not surprising that many of the films set in the 19th century reflect the countless struggles experienced by people gaining and losing land. In Westerns there’s frequently a backdrop of war, but also clashes with the indigenous people, which contribute to the tense, and generally violent, atmosphere. However, it’s not often that these encounters are used to tell a story in which an aggressive character evolves, gaining depth and respect as the narrative unfolds. Hostiles is one of these rarities, taking audiences through a perilous journey of racism and redemption.

  • Review: ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ tells it how it is as only Michael Moore can (Includes first-hand account)

    There are people who are not inclined to seek out information about politics, social issues or the world at large, but they are more likely to consume this material if it’s presented in the form of entertainment. A movie, documentary, late-night talk show or news satire television program is a digestible source of intelligence that’s able to summarize from a vast array of sources. Of course, that’s not to say those delivering these communications don’t have their own agenda or biases, but it is still a way to ensure people receive information and hopefully take steps to draw informed conclusions. Filmmaker Michael Moore is one of the most prolific producers of issue-based documentaries for the masses and his latest picture is Fahrenheit 11/9 (not to be confused with the previous release, Fahrenheit 9/11).

  • Review: ‘Only Yesterday’ gets new audience with English-dub (Includes first-hand account)

    For several decades, the animated films of Studio Ghibli have been some of the most acclaimed and revered. Following his Oscar win in 2003, most of the recognition has been given to director Hayao Miyazaki. Admirers began to scour his filmography, consuming all that he produced before and creating a Western demand for everything that came after; Disney has since taken up the charge of releasing English dubs of his movies for North American audiences. But Miyazaki is not the studio’s only director and since his retirement, attention has spread to other filmmakers at Ghibli. Now, Isao Takahata’s Only Yesterday is receiving a North American theatrical release to celebrate its 25th anniversary.