Bullet Points: Split Second
It pains me to have to start any Rutger Hauer post on a somber note but there is no way to watch any of his flicks after his recent death and not think about the amazing talent that we lost. Hauer had the remarkable ability to instantly embody any role and elevate it from a throwaway line or two to a scene-stealing character. I’ll always cherish all the memories I have of browsing my local video store and seeing the dozens of Rutger movies littered throughout the horror, action, and science fiction categories. Rest easy, old friend.
Synopsis: The year is 2008. Global warming has melted much of the polar ice caps, resulting in serious flooding around the world – including the city of London, which is now under several feet of water. In the ensuing chaos, a new killer has emerged. One that’s unnatural, unrelenting and unstoppable. Maverick veteran policeman Harley Stone has a link with the killer – it murdered his partner, and he will do whatever it takes to bring down the killer. As a new rookie is assigned to him, Stone must find the killer, rescue his girlfriend, and fight off his own inner demons as he gets closer to his mysterious adversary. But when the killer is a vicious 10 foot tall alien creature, even in the future, there aren’t guns big enough to stop the creature’s deadly reign.
- I’m Sold: Split Second has one of my favorite posters of the early 90’s. As a fan of anything Alien and most things Rutger Hauer, you can bet it didn’t take long for me to pick this VHS off the rack at my local shop.
- Harley, the Hero: Hauer plays burnt-out, tough-guy cop Harley Stone. It’s an absolutely perfect action star name and one as fitting as could be expected in a movie like this. Harley had fallen on tough times after losing his former partner to a serial killer and then being essentially tormented by said killer for years after. The mysterious nature of the serial killings; missing hearts, connections to zodiac shit, and brutal nature of the found bodies might lead one to believe that there is some sort of unnatural stuff happening. Well, guess what? If you’ve seen the poster/cover of the tape, you’re on the right track!
- “I work alone”: Harley is joined by Detective Dick Durkin (Alastair Duncan) and the duo couldn’t be any more different. I guess that is what makes them such a good team. Harley operates mostly on experience and instinct while Durkin is the highly trained and read-up student of the profession. They slowly begin to see each other’s value and by the end are kicking ass like a well-oiled machine.
- Kim: Sex and the City and Big Trouble in Little China star Kim Cattrall plays Rutger’s main squeeze Michelle. She goes from a nothing character to someone of substance when the creature bites her on the shoulder and essentially “marks her”. Her character is mostly wasted as she does pretty much nothing except look pretty and get rescued by the boys with the guns. No big deal, though. She gets the last laugh in the end.
- The Beast: You have to wonder what exactly went through the minds of those who created this creature. It’s almost as if they had been reading the Venom storyline from a Spider-Man comic or just decided to make a creature as close to an Alien as possible. The look of the beast wasn’t the biggest problem with the movie, however. It takes so damned long to even get a glimpse of the beast that I had lost all curiosity in it at that point. It may have worked for Jaws but Split Second is a much different beast.
- The Setting: I was a little confused by the use of the flooded London setting. It was one of many elements of the film that didn’t quite fit together like the puzzle that I had hoped. Consider the fact that this creature was taunting Harley one moment, a zodiac-inspired serial killer the next, and a DNA-stealing alien the next, and the film really feels like adding one more element like the global warming deal is just too much.
The Verdict: The best thing about Split Second is the relationship between Harley and Dick. No other character has much of any arc, to be honest. The villain is never explained and we don’t spend enough time with anyone else to care whether they live or die. Rutger and Alastair Duncan seem to have fun with their back and forth and go on the usual journey that partners do in these kinds of movies and end up much more similar than they started. It’s fun, but it’s also frustrating because the weak villain and the lack of one secondary character to care for kept this film from being really good. Still, though, it’s a fun movie for anyone who grew up watching Rutger Hauer make bad lines sound amazing on screen.
