Five Minutes to Live

Last updated
Five Minutes to Live
FiveMinutesTo Live.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBill Karn
Screenplay by Cay Forrester
Story byPalmer Thompson
Produced byJames Ellsworth
Ludlow Flower
Starring Johnny Cash
Donald Woods
Cay Forrester
Pamela Mason
Vic Tayback
Cinematography Carl E. Guthrie
Edited byDonald Nosseck
Production
company
Somera Productions-Flower Film Productions
Distributed bySutton Pictures
Release date
  • December 7, 1961 (1961-12-07)(United States)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$300,000
Box office$5,655,000
Five Minutes To Live

Five Minutes to Live is a 1961 American neo-noir [1] crime film directed by Bill Karn. It was re-titled Door-to-Door Maniac for an American International Pictures re-release in 1966. The film stars Johnny Cash, who wrote and sang the title song, and Cay Forrester, who wrote the screenplay and whose husband, Ludlow Flower, produced. [2]

Contents

Five Minutes to Live was one of only two theatrical film roles in which Cash performed on-screen in his career, A Gunfight , ten years later, being the other. While he appeared in The Road to Nashville in 1967, he played himself in a musical. Cash would appear in several made-for-television films and do some voice-over work in film later in his career.

Plot

Fred sits in a dark room, detailing his most recent bank robbery. He talks about how he teamed up with hardened criminal Johnny Cabot to execute his plan.

Cabot is about to take the wife of the bank's vice president hostage. He holds her until he receives a call from Fred, informing him that they have the ransom money. Cabot watches the Wilson house as the husband leaves for work, and their son heads off to school. Posing as a door-to-door guitar instructor, Cabot talks his way into the house, and takes Nancy Wilson hostage.

At the bank, Fred enters vice president Ken Wilson's office, and hands him a check for $70,000, informing Wilson that he will withdraw the funds to cover the ransom or his wife will die. He tells Wilson to call home for proof that Nancy is being held hostage, then informs him that if he does not call Cabot back in five minutes, Mrs. Wilson will die.

Wilson surprisingly responds that he has been planning to leave his wife anyway, and runs off to Las Vegas with his mistress, Ellen. He tells Fred that he will be doing him a favor by killing his wife. Fred does not believe that Wilson will let his wife die. He is proven correct, as time ticks by, when Wilson finally cracks and agrees to pay the ransom.

Fred calls Cabot, and starts the clock over again. After the five minutes have passed, Fred works on Wilson to hurry. Meanwhile, at the Wilson house, Cabot is enjoying terrorizing his hostage. He begins forcing her to listen to his songs about her impending demise, shooting at her and making sexual advances toward her. Back at the bank, Fred has been taken down by the police, who arrived after someone tripped the silent alarm. As a result, Cabot starts to become nervous, having not received his expected call from Fred. Suddenly, Little Bobby comes in, home for lunch.

The police arrive outside the house. In a panic, Cabot grabs Bobby and runs for it, running right into police gunfire. Bobby pretends as though he has been shot in order to encourage Cabot to put him down. After apparently being very upset by the accidental shooting of the young boy, Cabot fires back, and is killed by police. Nancy runs outside to find her son, still alive and well. The film ends with Fred finishing his story to the police, then Mr. Wilson driving to Las Vegas, but with his wife, not his mistress.

Cast

Reception

Critical

The movie holds a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 4 critical reviews, citing a mixed rating. It has since become a cult classic.

Soundtrack

Five Minutes To Live
Written and sung by Johnny Cash
Solo Guitar by Merle Travis

Remake

A proposed remake of the film to be directed by Jan de Bont was announced in 2012. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Short Circuit 2</i> 1988 film by Kenneth Johnson

Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film, the sequel to the 1986 film Short Circuit. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahveri, Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy Banatoni, and Tim Blaney as the voice of Johnny 5.

<i>Jagged Edge</i> (film) 1985 thriller film by Richard Marquand

Jagged Edge is a 1985 American neo-noir legal thriller film written by Joe Eszterhas, and directed by Richard Marquand, the last of his films to be released during his lifetime. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote and Robert Loggia. A lawyer reluctantly takes the case of a man accused of killing his wife, but remains uncertain if he is guilty or not.

<i>Walk the Line</i> 2005 film by James Mangold

Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies by the American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash: Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words (1975) and Cash: The Autobiography (1997). The film follows Cash's early life, his romance with the singer June Carter, his ascent in the country music scene, and his drug addiction. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Cash, Reese Witherspoon as Carter, Ginnifer Goodwin as Cash's first wife Vivian Liberto, and Robert Patrick as Cash's father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cay Forrester</span> American actress (1898–1989)

Cay Forrester was an American film and television actress. She appeared predominantly in minor films with some exceptions, such as Advise and Consent and the Susan Hayward hit Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman.

<i>Village of the Giants</i> 1965 film by Bert I. Gordon

Village of the Giants is a 1965 American teensploitation comedy science fiction film produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon. Based loosely on H. G. Wells's 1904 book The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth, it contains elements of the beach party film genre. The story concerns a gang of rebellious teens who gain access to a chemical substance called "Goo", which causes living things to grow to gigantic proportions. The cast is composed almost entirely of teenaged actors and young adults portraying teenagers. Also making musical guest appearances are The Beau Brummels, Freddy Cannon, and Mike Clifford. Gordon would later direct another adaptation of Wells' story, titled The Food of the Gods.

<i>Dream a Little Dream</i> (film) 1989 film by Marc Rocco

Dream a Little Dream is a 1989 American fantasy-romantic comedy-drama film directed by Marc Rocco and starring Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Meredith Salenger, Jason Robards, Piper Laurie and Harry Dean Stanton. It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. This was the third film featuring The Two Coreys. A direct to video sequel, Dream a Little Dream 2, was released in 1994.

<i>The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer</i> 1947 film by Dore Schary, Irving Reis

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer is a 1947 American screwball romantic comedy-drama film directed by Irving Reis and written by Sidney Sheldon. The film stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple in a story about a teenager's crush on an older man.

<i>O. Henrys Full House</i> 1952 film

O. Henry's Full House is a 1952 American anthology film made by 20th Century Fox, consisting of five films, each based on a story by O. Henry.

<i>Charley and the Angel</i> 1973 family/comedy film by Vincent McEveety

Charley and the Angel is a 1973 American Disney family/comedy film set in an unidentified small city in the 1930s Depression-era Midwestern United States and starring Fred MacMurray in one of his final film appearances and his last movie for Disney. The film, directed by Vincent McEveety, is based on The Golden Evenings of Summer, a 1971 novel written by Will Stanton.

<i>Acid Factory</i> 2009 Indian film

Acid Factory is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Suparn Verma. The film stars Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani, Dia Mirza, and Danny Denzongpa. The film is an unofficial adaptation of the 2006 American film Unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvatore Naturile</span> American bank robber

Salvatore Antonio "Sal" Naturile, also known as Donald Matterson was an American bank robber whose attempted robbery of a Chase Manhattan bank branch in Brooklyn, along with John Wojtowicz, in August 1972, inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon. In the film he is portrayed by actor John Cazale.

<i>Mothers Day</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Mother's Day is a 2010 American psychological horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. It is a loose remake of Charles Kaufman's Mother's Day and was written by Scott Milam and produced by Brett Ratner.

<i>The Running Man</i> (novel) 1982 novel by Stephen King

The Running Man is a dystopian thriller novel by American writer Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the omnibus The Bachman Books. The novel is set in a dystopian United States during the year 2025, in which the nation's economy is in ruins and world violence is rising. The story follows protagonist Ben Richards as he participates in the reality show The Running Man, in which contestants win money by evading a team of hitmen sent to kill them.

<i>Gor</i> (film) 1987 American film

Gor is a 1987 science fiction fantasy film. It was loosely based on the 1966 novel Tarnsman of Gor, the first in the Gor series of sword and planet novels. The series was written by philosophy professor and author John Frederick Lange Jr. under his pen name John Norman. There was a sequel to the film, Outlaw of Gor (1989).

<i>Kidnap and Ransom</i> British television miniseries

Kidnap and Ransom is a British television three-part miniseries, originally shown on ITV in January 2011 with a second series following in February 2012. The series follows the work of a British hostage negotiator Dominic King, played by Trevor Eve, who is also executive producer of the series.

Ransom is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz and is considered to be lost. This is one of the many films of this period that sought to cash in on the fame of the then-popular Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels. Surprisingly, Columbia resorted to aping the character instead of attempting to secure the rights legally from the author. The following year, Paramount released the first of a Fu Manchu trilogy of films that were very successful.

<i>Bushrangers Ransom, or A Ride for Life</i> 1911 film

Bushranger's Ransom, or A Ride for Life was an Australian silent film produced by Pathé Frères' in 1911, their first motion picture production in Australia after establishing a branch office in Sydney in April 1910. It was adapted from a stage play first performed in 1907 by E. I. Cole's Bohemian Dramatic Company.

<i>Rabid Dogs</i> (2015 film) 2015 French film

Rabid Dogs is a 2015 Franco-Canadian crime thriller film written and directed by Éric Hannezo and starring Lambert Wilson, Guillaume Gouix and Virginie Ledoyen. It is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. It was screened as part of the Cinéma de la Plage programme at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Show Them No Mercy!</i> 1935 film by George Marshall

Show Them No Mercy! is a 1935 American crime film directed by George Marshall and written by Kubec Glasmon and Henry Lehrman. The film stars Rochelle Hudson, Cesar Romero, Bruce Cabot, Edward Norris, Edward Brophy and Warren Hymer. The film was released on December 6, 1935, by 20th Century Fox.

<i>Den of Thieves</i> (film) 2018 film by Christian Gudegast

Den of Thieves is a 2018 American heist action film written, directed, and produced by Christian Gudegast. It stars Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway. In the film, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department clique look to stop a gang of thieves consisting of ex-MARSOC Marines that is planning to rob the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles.

References

  1. Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; Ursini, James; Porfirio, Robert (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopaedia. Overlook Duckworth (New York). ISBN   978-1-59020-144-2.
  2. Five Minutes To Live at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg .
  3. Jeremy Kay (20 January 2012). "Jan De Bont to remake crime drama Five Minutes To Live". Screen.