5ive Days to Midnight (2004) (TV)

Director:

Michael W. Watkins

Writers (WGA):

Robert Zappia (story) (hour 1) and
David Aaron Cohen (story) (hour 1) ...

Release Date:

7 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

He has five days to solve a murder... his own.

Plot:

When college professor J.T. Neumeyer discovers a police file that outlines the details of his murder - which is to take place five days in the future - he wastes no time trying to save his own life.

Plot Keywords:

Physics | Father Daughter Relationship | Nightmare | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship | Birthday Party

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Timothy Hutton	...	J.T. Neumeyer
Randy Quaid	...	Irwin Sikorski
Kari Matchett	...	Claudia Whitney
Hamish Linklater	...	Carl Axelrod
Angus Macfadyen	...	Roy Bremmer
Gage Golightly	...	Jesse Neumeyer
Nicole de Boer	...	Chantal Hume (as Nicole deBoer)
David McIlwraith	...	Brad Hume
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Tim Sanders
Nick Allen	...	Policeman
Christine Anton	...	Mrs. Silveira
Daniel Bacon	...	Jesse's Teacher
Blake Banbury	...	Orderly
Lisa Ann Beley	...	Amy
Paul Bittante	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

5 Days to Midnight (USA) (alternative spelling)
Five Days to Midnight (Australia)

Runtime:

210 min (4 parts) | Czech Republic:210 min (5 parts)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

Brazil:14 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

David Kirschner Productions

Trivia:

The events in the mini-series take place Monday, 7 June 2004 through Friday, 11 June 2004. The show premiered on the SciFi Channel (USA) on Monday, 7 June 2004 and consecutive episodes were shown each night through Friday, 11 June 2004 roughly following a real-time schedule. The fourth episode (with events ending at or slightly past 3.55am according to the script) was actually first shown at 9.00pm on Thursday, 10 June 2004, so the series did get ahead a bit. Additional date-specific product placements (for instance, a poster for The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), playing in theaters at the time, as seen on a slow pan at the university outside Neumeyer's office) and current popular culture references (for example, a reference to the popular show, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000), airing at the time on network TV) in conversation help reinforce this setup.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Everything is happening in June yet in the beginning of the first day everything looks like it's fall, no leaves on the tree, the way people are dressed, and so on.

Movie Connections:

References The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Soundtrack:

10,000 Miles

My Opinion

This is an awesome movie. I taped it when it was on television and I liked it so well I bought the DVD. It is one of those movies I can't get enough of and I have watched it several times.

The actors are fantastic - that little girl is a magnificent actress. Timothy Hutton really shows what he is capable of. I was not familiar with Kari Matchett, but I would like to see more of her work. Randy Quaid was perfect as the stereotyped detective.

The soundtrack (which I am still trying to find) is great - perfectly placed songs and music. The music enhanced the film rather than just disappearing into the background.

If you have the opportunity to get the DVD, do. I watched the commentary and although I don't usually like to watch those (I hate knowing the secrets - I want to keep the magic), I did thoroughly enjoy the information. Their methods of shooting with multiple cameras and the time sequencing was explained and I'll always wonder why every film isn't made with multiple cameras. It really elevated this movie into an unforgettable film.

I highly recommend this film to anyone. Don't be turned off if you don't like Sci-Fi - this is a movie for anyway who just wants to escape into an engrossing story.