Split Second

Split Second



When people list their top eighties action stars, they may well count the Planet Hollywood trio; Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Willis. Kings of the castle though they are, if you look further down that list you will find Van Damme, Segal and possibly Kurt Russell. But, everyone (and I mean everyone) forgets the contributions of the less densely muscled Dutchman Rutger Hauer. Well, with films like Blind fury, The Hitcher and Blade Runner I ask these people, “How Fucking dare You?”

Another great example of Hauer's influence on the action genre is Split Second; A paranormal film from the early nineties that sees him really earn his action man stripes.

Hauer plays Harley Stone a mercenary cop in the now flooded city of London. Up to his knees in polluted water, he investigates the death of his old partner, Foster, at the hands of some weird shadowy creature. It seems the hunter has become the hunted though, as the creature is stalking him too.

Partnered with nerdy Scottish cop, Dick Durkin(Neil Duncan) they try to kill the monster and stay alive at the same time. They soon discover, thanks to Durkin's extensive knowledge of the occult, that the thing they are searching for is very likely Satan himself.

Kim Cattrall pops up as Michelle, Fosters widow and Harley's love interest, increasing the impetus of our hero's mission when she gets herself kidnapped.

Hauer is excellent as the vengeance driven cop with a conscience and easily steals the show from his supporting cast. Though, to be fair, Pete Postlethwaite is his only competitor in terms of class. His character reminds me of Snake Pliskin or Stallone's Cobra or more directly, Dirty Harry. Or all of the above, with way funnier one-liners.

The villain, or Beelzebub, is very much a complete rip off off H.R. Giger's Alien design without the elongated head. They possibly picked it up at a 20th Century Fox garage sale. Luckily, there are hardly any close up shots of the monster, more fleeting shots on the periphery of your vision.

It's good to see that Hauer's career is in the middle of a revival at the moment with Batman Begins and Sin City elevating his status. Let's not forget that he's the man who ad-libbed the famous 'Tears in the rain' climactic speech in Blade Runner.

Verdict 9/10
Hauer's best film next to Blade Runner.