In a fucked-up, flooded, “future” (the film is set in 2008) London; cigar chomping, black clothing connoisseur and all around shit-kickin’, out of control bad ass Detective Harley Stone (Rutger Hauer) searches for the serial killer that put a murder on his partner three years prior.
As Stone investigates further, and the body count rises, he discovers he has a psychic bond with the killer… oh, and that the maniac in question is, in fact, a ten-foot tall alien monster!
Comprised of a wet, grimy future, an over-the-top anti-hero, and a slavering alien beast, Split Second would be right at home in the pages of legendary long-running British comic book series 2000 A.D. (home to Judge Dredd), so if you dig on that, you’ll know exactly what to expect from this film, ambiance-wise.
Hauer absolutely steals the show as Stone, a man who’s every statement is a clench jawed one-liner or or outrageously macho slogan. He’s a walking cartoon character; grim, violence-prone, and absolutely impossible not to watch.
Adding to that last bit; the chemistry between Hauer and Alastair Duncan as his rookie partner, the straight-laced, occult and comic book obsessed Det. Dick Durkin is a hell of a lot of fun to witness, and the fact the two enjoy each other’s company is obvious.
Speaking of acting, we also get solid performances from Kim Catrall (Big Trouble in Little China), Michael J. Pollard (Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland among hundreds of others), Alun Armstrong (Krull), and Pete Postlethwaite (The Lost World: Jurassic Park).
Of course a creature feature is only as good as the monster it features, and this creature is pretty damn solid. Think of Giger’s xenomorph mixed with Venom and possessing razor-sharp talons and you’d be damn close to imagining what future Blade director Stephen Norrington conjured up for this film… a true nightmare that looks like he could take whatever the huge guns of Stone fire it’s way!
As for special features on this Blu-ray release from MVD Entertainment (courtesy of their MVD Rewind label), the offerings are plentiful indeed! Starting things off we get a fast-paced, information packed audio commentary by action film historian Mike Leeder and filmmaker Arne Venema, followed by interviews with producer Laura Gregory & Duncan, composer Stephen W. Parsons, line producer Laurie Borg, creature effects designer Cliff Wallace, and cinematographer Clive Tickner.
Also included are: archival “making of” and “behind-the-scenes” featurettes, the extended Japanese cut of the film (the additional material is able to be viewed separate as well), 7 promotional TV spots (which were like isolated scenes from the film???), U.S. VHS home video promo, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
Additionally you get sleeve featuring new artwork by The Dude Designs, and a collectible mini-poster featuring original style VHS artwork!
Split Second comes on strong like King Kong, with a non-stop barrage of tough-guy posturing, monsters, and gore… and it’s absolutely irresistible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAKcHUf3lkg[/ermbedyt]
