One great thing about watching movies late night on TV when I was a kid was being able to almost watch two movies at the same time, flipping the channels during the ads from one movie to another that might be on. I feel like this is how I’ve seen the majority of Split Second (1992) when I was younger without actually having watched it from start to finish. Like 11:45pm screening on Channel Nine on a Saturday night while I was mainly watching another channel. Anyway, this is a 1990s cyberpunk science fiction action horror VHS classic with Rutger Hauer reviving the Blade Runner aesthetic as a strung-out cop who works alone chasing down a serial killer who rips out the heart of their victims (and might be a monster, naturally) – and they have a psychic link between each other as well (who is the hunter, who is the hunted?). There’s a pencil pushing Oxford square who he’s partnered up with Dick Durkin (Alastair Duncan) who has a character arc of going from nerd to dork. There’s also the ex-wife of the former partner that Hauer is avenging (and he and the wife had an affair) played by Kim Cattrall (whose comedic flair adds so much to a nothing part). 80% of the movie is Hauer stomping down hallways or streets chewing a cigar while holding up a cyberpunk future gun; the other 20% is Hauer grabbing Pete Postlethwaite by the lapels and slamming him against a wall (he plays the guy in the department who is always rubbing Hauer up the wrong way). Oh yeah, Alun Armstrong is the shouty chief (and did I forget that rock star Ian Dury pops up as a shady club owner). Split Second is a collection of cliches that rips off Alien and Predator, but it’s knowing, with lots of corny one-liners and Hauer’s wry charm keeps it all cooking. The fact its set in the UK with all these over the top action moments also makes it feel like Garth Meranghi: The Movie. Apparently, the ending was edited and changed and hence why it feels like a rushed climax. But at least it all wraps up in 90 minutes, so why worry about it. Streaming on Amazon Prime. Recommended.
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