Science Fiction

Action

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Horror

Split Second

Challenge Film Corporation

Entertainment

Muse Productions

XYZ Funding N.V.

Interstar

United Kingdom

English

Rutger Hauer

Kim Cattrall

Michael J. Pollard

Alastair Duncan

Alun Armstrong

Pete Postlethwaite

Ian Dury

Roberta Eaton

Tony Steedman

Steven Hartley

Sara Stockbridge

Colin Skeaping

Ken Bones

Dave Duffy

Stewart Harvey-Wilson

Paul Grayson

Chris Chappell

Charlotte Hick

Morris Paton

Alan Stocks

Jason Watkins

Tina Shaw

Angie Hill

Mayumi Cabrera

John Bennett

Tina Smith

Martin Ronan

Phil Smeeton

Gordon Winter

Tony Sibbald

Papillon Soo

Rikki Howard

Rob Edmunds

Pádraig Lynch

Shend

Susan Aderin

Sheila Hyde

Jane van Hool

Cathy Walker

Daniella Rich

Tony Maylam

Gary Scott Thompson

Laura Gregory

Laurie Borg

Keith Cavele

Chris Hanley

Francis Haines

Stephen W. Parsons

Clive Tickner

Dan Rae

Linda Francis

John Hubbard

Ros Hubbard

Chris Edwards

Ian Bailie

Humphrey Bangham

Antoinette Gregory

Tim Wooster

Matthew Sharp

We are not chasing it, it's chasing us.

Split Second is directed by Tony Maylam and Ian Sharp and written by Gary Scott Thompson. It stars Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall and Neil Duncan. It was filmed in London, England, predominantly at the Hartley Jam Factory in Southwark, with Clive Tickner the cinematographer.

London, 2008. 

"After forty days and nights of torrential rain, the city is largely submerged below water, a result of the devastating effects of continued global warming. The warnings ignored for decades have now resulted in undreamed of levels of pollution where day has become almost endless night..." 

and something is stalking the watery city and tearing hearts out of its victims...

Plot follows a familiar course, and in truth there's no surprises here. A psychic link between Stone and the killer is sadly never fully formed, which is a shame because it had the potential to make the film more interesting. To offset that though, is that there is some nice babble involving astrological and satanic matters which are thrown up during the search/investigation. In its favour as well, is that Maylam and his team sensibly keep the perpetrator hidden for most of the film, instead choosing the odd flashing glimpse of a clawed hand, or a murky torso running across the frame, while the idea to only show the bloody aftermath of a kill hits home harder than if we had actually viewed it.

The look is spot on for an apocalyptic sci-fi piece, all greys, silvers and low lights, while the cheap production design works well in context of the tone of the picture. There's even some Schwarzenegger like cheese dialogue, the likes of which the big Austrian would have got paid millions to speak at around the same time Split Second was released. The killer, once revealed, will disappoint many, mainly because it looks overly familiar, but it does impact for the finale set at a flooded tube station. While the music (co-scored by three different people) is ideal as it sounds very tinny, in fact it's very 1980's like.

Judging by the critical reaction to it you have to think some folk were taking it a bit too seriously. Never fully convincing as a lead man, Hauer pitches this just right, with tongue in cheek, a grizzled personage and a swagger to match the glint in is eyes. He's playing a burned out cop character called Harley Stone, his partner, who of course is the polar opposite, is named Dick Durkin! Take this seriously? Never! Cattrall is merely here to be a love interest, to scream and show some flesh for the discerning hound dog, while her haircut, some black dyed German Helmet effort, is totally unflattering. Duncan does a fine job as the nerdy copper, working the comedy off of Hauer very well, while fleeting support comes from great British actors Alun Armstrong and Pete Postlethwaite. In cameos we get song man Ian Dury and Michael J. Pollard.

Leave the brain at the door and you have a good chance of enjoying this low-budget British sci-fier. 7/10

Tonally awkward at times and mismatch of various genres with apocalyptic-future science fiction horror mixed with buddy cop comedy, but for all its flaws, found this to be an absurdly entertaining film thanks to Rutger Hauer's charmingly gruff performance. Some interesting production design clearly inspired by Blade Runner, especially early on, and the brief moments we see the creature looks like a cross of the xenomorph and Venom. **3.0/5**

Split Second - Freaky scene

Rutger Hauer & Alastair Duncan in Split Second (1992)

Rutger Hauer in Split Second (1992)

Split Second (1992) - Trailer

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Split Second

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Cast

Rutger Hauer

Kim Cattrall

Michael J. Pollard

Alastair Duncan

Alun Armstrong

Pete Postlethwaite

Ian Dury

Roberta Eaton

Tony Steedman

Steven Hartley

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