If You Like Drop, There's Another Real Time Thriller You Need To Watch Immediately (2025)

It feels like the right time on the 2025 movie schedule to release a thrill ride that could take our breaths away. And judging from what I’ve read through Drop’s critical reactions, I have a feeling that director Christopher Landon’s latest is going to fit the bill rather nicely.

However, I’m not here to talk about Meghann Fahy’s date from hell, because if you’re here, you’ve probably seen it by this point, and you want more. Well, allow me to introduce you to what I consider to be one of the best ‘90s movies, if only for the fact that it started my love for this underseen subgenre.

Johnny Depp’s Nick Of Time Walked So That Real Time Thrillers Could Drop

The 1995 release of the Johnny Depp starring Nick of Time may not have been the moment the real-time thriller was invented, but for Young Mike, it was a mindblower. The premise is deadly simple: accountant Gene Watson (Depp) is given a choice that could change his life - kill a California gubernatorial candidate or lose the life of his young daughter.

What makes director John Badham’s execution of this premise so amazing is that it’s a 90-minute movie, in real time, in one location. Also, Johnny Depp being terrorized by Christopher Walken, who plays the picture’s villain, Mr. Smith. In one of Depp’s most restrained performances, it’s Walken who gets to go nuts in Nick of Time, and gleefully so.

Throughout the single location of the hotel that’s hosting this campaign rally of death, twists and turns unfold. Gene tries to get smart, with Mr. Smith beating him most of the time, with everything leading up to a nail-biting conclusion that awaits when the deadline arrives. It’s fun, it’s tense, and for reasons that Drop director Christopher Landon has previously laid out, it has the two key ingredients that any real-time thriller needs to actually work.

Even Christopher Landon Recognized Nick Of Time’s Game When Making Drop

I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Landon at Drop’s trailer debut at BlumFest 2024. As we met up at this New York Comic Con press line, I told the man of the hour (and forty minutes) that Nick of Time was the first movie that came to mind after being introduced to Violet (Meghann Fahy) and her brush with danger.

His reaction, as recalled during my own Drop trailer reaction, was one of pure joy. Highlighting how he saw writers Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach’s script as a “good clean premise” that was also character-driven, this project had found a home in his heart. This leads me to how those very reasons apply to Nick of Time, connecting these pictures in heart and mind.

While Nick of Time missed out on my list of 32 great movies under 90 minutes, it exhibits the same economy of story that any proper example of this genre possesses. As far as the character-driven half goes, following Johnny Depp’s Gene Watson through a journey that introduces him to friend and foe is a tense exercise. Not knowing who to trust makes it difficult to plan, especially in a situation where time is literally not on your side.

As for the “clean premise,” writer Patrick Sheane Duncan really puts his protagonist through his paces. Centering itself in one location, focusing on a singular protagonist, and limiting the time frame of the story all contribute to the simplicity that sharpens the hands on Nick of Time’s clock into dangerous weapons.

Put it all together, and you’ve got a movie that primed Young Mike to seek out other films like Phone Booth and TV series like 24 - both of which feature the unofficial king of real-time thrillers, Kiefer Sutherland. I think I’ve hyped this one up enough, as you can currently stream Nick of Time for free on Pluto TV, or rent the film on Digital HD. No matter which method you prefer, if you’re picking up what Drop’s putting down, you shouldn’t waste time jumping into this cult classic.

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