Have no idea what this movie is about. Flashing images confusing & frustrating. Andy Garcia the only draw - was he desperate for work. Kudos to anyone who can make it to the end of the movie.
39 Reviews
WTF
cedeskling28 March 2019
Go go go insane? NO THANK YOU.
sfx-882-82603122 October 2019
Now normally I review a movie with the idea that I liked it, or didn't like it, and I give my reasons why this is so.
This is a whole new category for me - a movie that will make you sick. The final music track right at the end sings, "We'll make you go insane!" Yup. That's right. That's the idea.
I feel incredibly sorry for anyone who is stuck in a cinema and has this happen to them. Dreadful sound that veers constantly between near unintelligeble dialogue and BAM! CRASH! WALLOP!!! at screaming pitch; relentless crash-flashing-unintelligeable shot shifts that never cease, I just have no words.
Yes, I do. AVOID. This is not a movie, it's ... barbed wire to the eyeballs, hot neeedles in the ears and probably MK Ultra hidden messages cut in between.
Doesn't deserve to be called "a movie."
This is a whole new category for me - a movie that will make you sick. The final music track right at the end sings, "We'll make you go insane!" Yup. That's right. That's the idea.
I feel incredibly sorry for anyone who is stuck in a cinema and has this happen to them. Dreadful sound that veers constantly between near unintelligeble dialogue and BAM! CRASH! WALLOP!!! at screaming pitch; relentless crash-flashing-unintelligeable shot shifts that never cease, I just have no words.
Yes, I do. AVOID. This is not a movie, it's ... barbed wire to the eyeballs, hot neeedles in the ears and probably MK Ultra hidden messages cut in between.
Doesn't deserve to be called "a movie."
Wow, What a HORRIBLE movie!!
bob977-862-5198314 April 2019
We tried to watch it but it was just so bad we couldn't get through it. Horrible, disjointed flashbacks and quick scenes that quickly flash at you with no idea what they are trying to say. It was a waste of time and if you can watch the entire movie then you deserve an Oscar! Sound is either too LOUD or too quiet and impossible to hear. No in between. It deserves a Negative ten stars.
Throw the clock out the window
renway30 March 2019
Terrible Editing
RLIsbell4 April 2019
I understood the movie, but without the constant jumping around from location to location, all this could be edited out and it would only be a half hour movie. It was pointless to watch an hour of "being lost." We the audience get it.
It wasn't a very good story as the editing killed it.
It wasn't a very good story as the editing killed it.
Disjointed unintelligible
roseliya16 January 2019
After at least half an hour of disjointed unintelligible fragmented flashback scenes that made no sense, I gave up. I really would just like a story to follow, but this movie seems to be about putting the same guy in a million different places all at once without any flow at all.
Aghast a Crock
compugor20 December 2019
Incoherent plot with an unbearable screenplay; visually despicable, annoyingly disjointed, unintelligible, headach-inducing, nauseating, nonsensically insulting and barely tolerable for about 20 minutes max, at which point had to terminate it with prejudice to preserve self respect.
You're beginning to rot
nogodnomasters10 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is another film where someone is conditioned to have a great memory and put together all the data inside their brain and there are no false memories. A CIA agent, Kelly Chandler (Mark Polish) is to gather intelligence on a massive terrorist attack which will be 12 cities across the world. And then the coma...
Both the CIA and his wife try to extract the data from his brain and they work both against and with each other. Now the film is mostly the interactions that are mixed with the confused thoughts of Kelly in a coma which are disjointed and repetitive. They are also meaningless to the viewer. It was overdone and a poor way to show his confused mind. The script needed editing, to say the least. The distorted man and the distorted voice was a low budget waste.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
Both the CIA and his wife try to extract the data from his brain and they work both against and with each other. Now the film is mostly the interactions that are mixed with the confused thoughts of Kelly in a coma which are disjointed and repetitive. They are also meaningless to the viewer. It was overdone and a poor way to show his confused mind. The script needed editing, to say the least. The distorted man and the distorted voice was a low budget waste.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
The 70s called and want their art film back
lizmasoner28 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I tried to give this a fair shake, mostly because Patrick Bauchau was on screen quickly and I've always enjoyed his work. But from the first disjointed scenes that look like PeeWee Herman playing a dead body to hideously edited and conceived static cut graphics over the entry exposition info dump this thing felt more like a drug fueled 1970s art film than anything considered today.
Complete waste of time.
numbahunna12 September 2020
VIEWS ON FILM review of Against the Clock
burlesonjesse518 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"All signs point to the loss of brain function". So says Justin Bartha's character in 2019's Against the Clock (my latest review). Is he secretly talking about the raucous movie he's in? Possibly. Is he talking about the inapt sensory overload in the movie he's in? Definitely.
Anyway, "Clock's" scenario goes like this: A Central Intelligence Agent named Kelley Chandler gets injured during a mission and winds up comatose. His wife (Tess Chandler) goes to great lengths to try and save him from a vegetative death. Mark Polish plays Chandler with stuntman overkill, unintentional physical comedy, and almost no dialogue. Every sequence involves him basically running and falling and running and falling and running (lather rinse repeat). Polish also directed Against the Clock while writing the laddish script as well. All I gotta say is "C-list" ego trip alert! Natch.
Only released in the U. S., saddled without an MPAA rating, and harboring the feel of something made by a film school graduate who couldn't wait to show off his mad skills, "Clock" is abundant style over minimal substance. This flick is loud, seizure-d, and jittery, with a visual palate equivalent to a stoner's nightmare and editing that looks as though it was done by a couple of simians on Foxy Methoxy. While watching the massively cross-cutting Against the Clock, I was reminded of the late Tony Scott and some of his stuff from the mid-2000's (Domino, Man on Fire). Too bad Scott is Orson Welles compared to the headache-inducing and morbidly chi-chi Mark Polish.
"Clock", with its alternate title being Headlock, stars the likes of Andy Garcia and Justin Bartha (mentioned earlier). They are known actors who play "Clock's" dodgy CIA directors (Gerald Hotchkiss and Peter Hobbs). Bartha and Garcia unknowingly damage their reputations in this vehicle. They are decent but it doesn't help that every other supporting performance around them feels as wooden as Pinocchio's forehead. Bottom line: Against the Clock is the classic case of a Hollywood studio letting their director do whatever the heck he wants, when he wants. When "Clock's" story finally comes together after numerous scenes being discombobulated to the nth degree, "time has run out" on the viewer's patience. Rating: 1 and a half stars.
Anyway, "Clock's" scenario goes like this: A Central Intelligence Agent named Kelley Chandler gets injured during a mission and winds up comatose. His wife (Tess Chandler) goes to great lengths to try and save him from a vegetative death. Mark Polish plays Chandler with stuntman overkill, unintentional physical comedy, and almost no dialogue. Every sequence involves him basically running and falling and running and falling and running (lather rinse repeat). Polish also directed Against the Clock while writing the laddish script as well. All I gotta say is "C-list" ego trip alert! Natch.
Only released in the U. S., saddled without an MPAA rating, and harboring the feel of something made by a film school graduate who couldn't wait to show off his mad skills, "Clock" is abundant style over minimal substance. This flick is loud, seizure-d, and jittery, with a visual palate equivalent to a stoner's nightmare and editing that looks as though it was done by a couple of simians on Foxy Methoxy. While watching the massively cross-cutting Against the Clock, I was reminded of the late Tony Scott and some of his stuff from the mid-2000's (Domino, Man on Fire). Too bad Scott is Orson Welles compared to the headache-inducing and morbidly chi-chi Mark Polish.
"Clock", with its alternate title being Headlock, stars the likes of Andy Garcia and Justin Bartha (mentioned earlier). They are known actors who play "Clock's" dodgy CIA directors (Gerald Hotchkiss and Peter Hobbs). Bartha and Garcia unknowingly damage their reputations in this vehicle. They are decent but it doesn't help that every other supporting performance around them feels as wooden as Pinocchio's forehead. Bottom line: Against the Clock is the classic case of a Hollywood studio letting their director do whatever the heck he wants, when he wants. When "Clock's" story finally comes together after numerous scenes being discombobulated to the nth degree, "time has run out" on the viewer's patience. Rating: 1 and a half stars.
In the Brain of a Coma Victim
sglitz9 February 2019
I didn't find this film confusing except in a good way. The basic plot is very clear, and the acting is excellent. If you've ever had a dream where you felt panicky since it was so hard to wake up, you'll probably understand this film better. The fear of a spy in a coma with the need to wake up and prevent international terrorists is very suspenseful. The direction is powerful in conveying the spy's upset, fear and dream state confusion of what he really remembers and what is from his sub-conscious. The wife is courageously fighting the CIA to keep her husband alive when even her own father turns against her. Wonderful ending!
Confused...
RosanaBotafogo26 June 2022
Wow, very futuristic, subjective, far beyond my understanding, a deep dive into artificial intelligence, inside an implanted, confused, neurotic, timeless, crazy, virtual, intense, almost incomprehensible and irrational... , no end, is that right? No ending? He died? Lived? Saved? Failed? Oh...
"Inceptions" drunk neighbor that wants you to call him "Uncle"
sarah-e-bolt1 June 2020
This movie is something about a mind in limbo and people trying to get info out of it with dialog in English yet still incoherent and unfollowable.
This movie is almost like Inception if Inception did acid and if you didn't like any of the characters and if you couldn't follow the plot and you quit caring how it ends at most half way thru since you have no idea what's going on anyway.
Hard to give it more than one star. 🙄
This movie is almost like Inception if Inception did acid and if you didn't like any of the characters and if you couldn't follow the plot and you quit caring how it ends at most half way thru since you have no idea what's going on anyway.
Hard to give it more than one star. 🙄
LSD??
haroot_azarian23 August 2020
I cannot believe that the same guy who wrote the Astronaut Farmer managed to come up with crap like this. Also after a superb performance in Hollow in the Land what the hell was Dianna Agron thinking accepting a role in this codswallop? Is she that desperate for money?!
Just awful
JeopardyLeyton15 October 2019
I tried sticking with this but it gave me a headache. It was completely nonsensical. It's fine to have a few of these disjointed weird scenes in a movie to portray some emotion or dream sequence, but the entire movie like that is just too much. You can't follow what's going on, it's just really an unpleasant experience to watch and you don't even manage to pick up any interesting plot from it, and what plot there is, just isn't worth the torment of sitting through weird flashes and CGI and random loud noises. It's the movie equivalent of going on an acid trip in an abattoir.
Boring and confused!
shepelx14 November 2019
Regrets
adil-318381 October 2019
Flashing images will kill the cinematography
toffy-873719 February 2019
Went to see this film because of Andy Garcia, his appearance in this movie, however was a little as a supporting acting to a main male character and his name cannot be listed as a second one, unfortunately. The story line is not bad but this movie is nor possible to watch due to massive occurrence of flashing images. After half an hour I got sick and hearly left but decided just to listen this movie, a new experience. If you require a headache it's your kind of movie.
I have watched alot of bad movies but this is the one
valentineadam175 February 2020
Honestly the worst most annoying movie ive ever watched. I couldnt finish it after really really trying too and i cant remember the last time i didnt watch a movie start to finish. The annoying constant ringing sound is enough to make you wanna vomit. Suuuuper garbage. No real plot. A bunch of high paid actors so how is it so trash?
Had Potential
Alex_Kruse25 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I see a lot of reviews where people are saying they only made it twenty minutes through the film before shutting it off. Personally I think it isn't fair to rate a film if you haven't sat through the entire thing, because some movies can start on the wrong foot and wind up being decent or even good by the end.
On the other hand, I can see how visually the editing would be too jarring for a lot of people to sit through. It was very disjointed and highly repetitive, making the film feel much longer than it's average running time allowed. The plot most definitely could've been flushed out better and made more exciting if half the film wasn't, as people mentioned, the lead actor mostly running and tripping over himself over and over again.
That being said, I did sit through all of it and understood the overarching plot. If you can make it through, the ending does sort of put you in a sort of Inception mindset where you're left wondering what was actually real and what was dream. It's confusing at best though and misses its mark, lacking the impact that Inception had mostly because, well, there just wasn't enough information about the leading woman to get you there. You're sort of just left going, "Wait...so was she the one the entire time or...? I don't get it."
I do want to give Justin Bartha kudos though. Out of all the characters he was the one I was honestly most sympathetic towards and the one who made the most sense to me. And he had actual character growth. They sort of left his whole fate very open ended though...if he even existed in the first place since we were left pondering what was real and what wasn't. That left me more than a little disappointed, the way his arc just sort of cut off like he didn't matter when he was the most interesting one.
So yeah, four stars because Justin Bartha was great, and some of the graphics were kind of cool to look at. But negatives on overly choppy editing, execution of the plot, and character development for everyone else. It was a unique idea but somehow became dull and repetitive and just long onscreen. And just plain hard on the eyes to watch.
On the other hand, I can see how visually the editing would be too jarring for a lot of people to sit through. It was very disjointed and highly repetitive, making the film feel much longer than it's average running time allowed. The plot most definitely could've been flushed out better and made more exciting if half the film wasn't, as people mentioned, the lead actor mostly running and tripping over himself over and over again.
That being said, I did sit through all of it and understood the overarching plot. If you can make it through, the ending does sort of put you in a sort of Inception mindset where you're left wondering what was actually real and what was dream. It's confusing at best though and misses its mark, lacking the impact that Inception had mostly because, well, there just wasn't enough information about the leading woman to get you there. You're sort of just left going, "Wait...so was she the one the entire time or...? I don't get it."
I do want to give Justin Bartha kudos though. Out of all the characters he was the one I was honestly most sympathetic towards and the one who made the most sense to me. And he had actual character growth. They sort of left his whole fate very open ended though...if he even existed in the first place since we were left pondering what was real and what wasn't. That left me more than a little disappointed, the way his arc just sort of cut off like he didn't matter when he was the most interesting one.
So yeah, four stars because Justin Bartha was great, and some of the graphics were kind of cool to look at. But negatives on overly choppy editing, execution of the plot, and character development for everyone else. It was a unique idea but somehow became dull and repetitive and just long onscreen. And just plain hard on the eyes to watch.
Negative reviewers are jealous
Killa4230 July 2023
This is a low budget b-movie, so you shouldn't expect that much if you're planning on watching this movie. Something similar I noticed about the negative reviews was that the reviewers didn't actually discuss the movie. They're cracking jokes about the visual ascetics. Plot: A CIA agent goes into a coma, and his wife is the only thing stopping his employers from pulling the plug. Meanwhile, you get to see into the mind of the person in a coma. It's not hard to follow. Sometimes, you'll see into the husband's head, which is crazy because it's like seeing someone dream. Then, you have the wife's moments where she's either arguing or physically fighting others to keep her husband alive. This is a great story of loyalty and love. There were a few slow points in the middle, but the movie was well done for such a low budget.
Don't have epilepsy, but I almost had a seizure.
phoenixoffire-1620611 January 2020
I have no idea how I even made it 3 minutes in. I have ADD, but these quick scenes with random effects just made me dizzy and confused. I was literally feeling nauseous. They were also unnecessary and distracting. That's why I do not recommend to even attempt to watch this movie, and recognize it's existence.
The most exhausting movie EVER!!!
eleaftha-333-69636010 December 2019
I finished this monstrosity of a movie only because I like to finish what I start, but I felt like I ran 2 marathons back to back afterwards. 30 minutes into the movie so much happened incoherently that it was almost like watching 2 hours.
I kinda got what the movie was trying to portray but its delivery sucked. It was so choppy that I thought I was losing my intelligence.
The acting was mediocre at best. Andy Garcia shoulda pass on this project. All he did was yell. There was very little if any, character development.
I'm not one to tell people what to do, but skip this one.
I kinda got what the movie was trying to portray but its delivery sucked. It was so choppy that I thought I was losing my intelligence.
The acting was mediocre at best. Andy Garcia shoulda pass on this project. All he did was yell. There was very little if any, character development.
I'm not one to tell people what to do, but skip this one.
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