Thriller
1 hour and 13 minutes
Not Rated
Written by: Peter Rogers
Directed by: Gerald Thomas
Produced by: Peter Rogers
Cast:
Robert Beatty
Betty McDowall
Lee Patterson
Vincent Winter
Sean Connery
An Inpenetrable Vault Becomes A Clockwork Tomb!
The 1950s was a wonderful time for what has become known as "B films". The drive-in/grindhouse culture saw that these films not only had a venue in which they could be screened, but that they also had an audience. Interestingly enough, these B films didn't survive as well outside the US market since foreign theaters were more inclined to show studio pictures made in America. Not surprisingly, B films were shot in nearly every country that had low budget filmmakers/studios on hand. And whether or not these films were screened in their own country of origin was not a matter of concern. Just as long as a few US theaters (drive-in or not) picked up a film it was considered a big deal, especially for films made from mere peanuts.
Such was the case with the British-made thriller Time Lock. Surprisingly, the film did actually do better in its nation of origin - screening all over the UK for several months in various theaters before fading away into obscurity. Time Lock did have a US theatrical release, but it was incredibly spotty and lasted much shorter than its UK run. For decades after its initial release, however, Time Lock did air on US and UK television every once in a blue moon.
Time Lock has perhaps earned most of its notoriety (and trust me, it doesn't have much) among cinephiles for being one of Sean Connery's earliest films. The film was in fact Connery's third motion-picture, and compared to the two films that he starred in prior, it was a step back for his career - for it was the smallest role he had seen up until that point.
The film has a wonderfully engaging premise, and it engulfs its viewer into the action almost immediately. The title refers to a lock set within a bank vault that won't allow said vault to open until a designated time. Trouble is encountered after the small child of a bank manager is trapped inside a vault whose time lock has been set to open three days from it being shut. It is engaging, it is thrilling, it is harrowing, it is simple, but above all else it is entertaining.
Despite having an incredibly strong premise, Time Lock does have a few issues that it can't overcome. For starters, the film is much too short. The audience is told that the rescuers only have ten hours to get the child out before he suffocates. From the start of the film, until the final opening of the vault, the story moves much too quickly. While there is never a dull moment, there needs to be more thrilling moments added to believe that the final seconds before opening the vault are really quite in fact the final seconds. Because of the film's short and fast pacing, the film leaves its viewers wanting more. Perhaps a few more botched rescue attempts could have filled in the gaps giving the film additional length.
Another issue with the film is the performance of Vincent Winter, who plays Steven - the young boy trapped inside the vault. The story stays with Steven in the beginning, but quickly abandons him after Steven fails to open the time lock from the inside. This may seem foolish, but it isn't. It allows more tension to build as the story grows and the audience can speculate if the heroes will find Steven alive or dead once the vault has been opened. But the time spent with Steven is unconvincing. His dialogue would give the impression that Steven should be panicked, but unfortunately its delivery is all too calm which creates an almost comical undertone that most definitely hurts the overall suspense that the film is trying to create. Luckily, Winter's scenes are kept brief.
What is impressive about the film is that it doesn't appear to be a cheaply made B movie. While there are few locations, the picture itself is one that wouldn't require much money to be made, studio financed or not. This helps with the overall tone, since cheaply made films can sometimes be more distracting than anything else. What is also impressive is that the film was shot entirely in England, but was set in Canada. All of the film's actors, with the exception of Sean Connery, deliver performances in perfect Canadian accents. Several of the key leads were either Canadian or American, but many of the minor parts that play pivotal roles were British, Scottish, or European of some sort.
The performances, minus Winter's, are all truly believable - an impressive testament to a cast of mostly unknowns. Alan Gifford, who plays the bank manager, gives an incredible performance as a man struggling to keep his mind on freeing the boy, while attempting to come to terms with the fact that he is ultimately responsible for the boy's condition. Lee Patterson and Betty McDowall give moving performances as the boy's parents - although they both fit gender stereotypes a little too neatly. The boy's father never once loses his cool, while the mother is reduced to hysteria by the film's climax. A showcase of 1950s gender roles, I suppose, but nevertheless none of this really hurts the film overall. Sean Conney handles his few lines of dialogue well, and although it is an incredibly minor role - Connery's role is pivotal to the story, and he is given quite a bit of screen time despite very little dialogue.
While it may not be the most impressive movie ever made, and it certainly isn't perfect, Time Lock is an entertaining example of a B movie made correctly. And if one ever does have the distinctive pleasure of viewing this obscure gem, chances are it isn't a film they'll likely forget and push to the obscure regions of their mind in the way it has been pushed into obscurity over the course of cinematic history.
6/10
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