Navy Lt. Tom Farrell meets a young woman, Susan Atwell , and they share a passionate fling. Farrell then finds out that his superior, Defense Secretary David Brice, is also romantically involved with Atwell. When the young woman turns up dead, Farrell is put in charge of the murder investigation. He begins to uncover shocking clues about the case, but when details of his encounter with Susan surface, he becomes a suspect as well.
Direction
Donaldson squeezes unbearable tension from a Polaroid development scene.
Acting
Gene Hackman's volcanic rage versus Will Patton's reptilian devotion.
Editing
The final twenty minutes are a masterclass in escalating panic.
Director
Roger Donaldson
Kevin Costner
Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell
Gene Hackman
Defense Secretary David Brice
Sean Young
Susan Atwell
Will Patton
Scott Pritchard
Howard Duff
Senator William 'Billy' Duvall
George Dzundza
Sam Hesselman
Jason Bernard
Major Donovan
Iman
Nina Beka
Fred Thompson
CIA Director Marshall
Leon Russom
Kevin O'Brien
Dennis Burkley
Boat Renter
Marshall Bell
Assassin
Chris D.
Assassin
Michael Shillo
Schiller
Nicholas Worth
Cup Breaker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is a loose remake of 1948's 'The Big Clock,' but swaps a magazine editor for a Pentagon officer and adds the political assassination angle.
The infamous 'enhance' sequence predates 'Blade Runner' and 'CSI'—it invented the impossible-zoom trope that now feels inevitable.
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