Time Lock

1957
6.1| 1h13m| en| More Info
Released: 27 August 1957 Released
Producted By: Romulus Films
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A boy is accidentally locked in a bank vault. With less than 10 hours of oxygen left in the vault, it becomes a race to save the boy.

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Reviews

GamerTab That was an excellent one.
AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks
TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Stephen Abell This is a simple story of a boy who finds himself trapped in the vault at the bank where his father works and the race to get him out alive. It's Friday and the Bank is getting ready to close for the weekend. Stephen Walker (Winter) has just turned six and as a treat, his mom, Lucille (McDowall), takes him to meet his father, Colin (Patterson), out of work. His dad just has to close up the vault and then they can go and celebrate. However, while Colin and his boss, George Foster (Gifford), lock up the vault there's an automobile accident just outside the window, which takes their attention away for a couple of seconds. When they finally close the door and the time lock kicks in it's the teller, Evelyn (Francis), who alerts them to the child's predicament... now the race is on...What I really liked about this was the simplicity of both the story and the location. You get a few outside shots, which only take up a couple of minutes, at most, and then the rest of the movie is set in two rooms. Though you never really notice as the Director, Thomas, keeps you involved in the unfolding story. As time passes, the question, "Will they be quick enough?" becomes more and more imperative... while the outlook grows bleaker and bleaker. Thomas uses the limited space well, moving the camera around to its best advantage.Then there's the acting, which is above par. Every person involved in rescuing the boy has an urgency in their voice and in their movements. Robert Beatty really sells the self-assured and strong-minded Pete Dawson, the mind who is responsible for the banks' security. He is quick with a plan and quicker to rally the troops. Whereas, Gifford as the Bank Manager Foster hits all the right notes in portraying a man who feels accountable for the accident and the possible death of a child. One thing which got under my skin was how little the parents appeared in the film. It would have been better if these two characters had been stronger, then you would have had a near-perfect cast.I'd recommend this film to all. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon on these cold winter days, while the central heating keeps you nice and cosy.
last-picture-show Made in Great Britain by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas (the team best known for their Carry On comedies) this film is set in Canada but for no obvious reason. A simple race-against-time drama about a little boy getting stuck in a bank vault, it could just as easily be set in Britain and could have been made more convincing without the constraints bought on by the lack of location filming.The film is more-or-less made on one set, and while there are many successful films made this way including Sleuth, Wait Until Dark and Deathtrap, here it simply doesn't work. The script is flat, the acting is questionable and the whole concept difficult to believe in.There are several unintentionally funny parts which are worth waiting for if you've nothing else to do. My favourite is where the bank manager (whose hair gets more and more disheveled as the time goes on) makes reference to the bank vault having 14 inch thick walls and being like a 'tomb', saying it loud enough for the worried parents to hear in an almost sadistic way.Then in an effort to speak to the boy the local cop (who's just too loud and bossy) orders some sound equipment and they set up what must be the largest megaphone in the world against the vault door. The boy's dad (the totally unconvincing Lee Patterson) nervously talks into a mike in the hope that the little brat will hear him. The problem here is that the sound emitting from the speaker just isn't loud enough. In reality everyone's ears would be bleeding and when he puts the mike down on the counter it would cause a sound loud enough to cause an earthquake.Later supposed safe 'expert' Robert Beatty takes over, although the only thing he's expert at is being louder and bossier than the cop. He keeps telling everyone to hurry up all the time even though they're all going as fast as is humanly possible. And he seems totally unconcerned about anyone helping being injured, tiered or burnt in the process, as long as he gets the chance to stick his arm in a hole at the end and undo the time lock mechanism to free the kid. Meanwhile he stands around doing very little (don't you just wanna punch him!).He demands the services of seven strong men from the crowd to help break through the wall with picks and hammers. This scene is very strange, almost camp, and I particularly love the way he goes to the trouble of checking the men's hands to make sure they were up to the job like a mum checking her kid's mits at meal times. Clock the look of disappointment on the priest's face when bossy Bob tells him that he can't take part. When else is he going to get the chance to be among six burly men with rough hands!To top it all 'second welder' Sean Connery has but a few lines and delivers them in an accent of uncertain origin. Part American, but mainly Scottish, it sounds like he wasn't even trying to disguise his real voice and his skill as an actor is questionable. Curiuosly this was after his part in the successful action drama Helldrivers and I'm surprised he accepted such a small part in what is an average, forgettable film.For those who like this type of story I would recommend the far superior Emergency Call which has a similar race against time theme but more action and a better script.
bob the moo Six year old Steven Walker is in the bank with his father near closing time he is in a playful mood and slips into the vault unseen just as it is shut. The problem is that for security reasons the vault is on a time lock and has been set to remain closed until after the weekend. With no more than half a day's air in the vault the race is on to try and get the boy out. The local vault expert is out of town for the weekend but, with no guarantee that he can be found in time, the parents are frantic to get him out.The plot was more than enough to hook me into it because it sounded like one of those setups that will be tight and tense, set in a single location and, given the race against time, effortlessly engaging. Although there were no guarantees for this, I was surprised by just how flat the whole thing was and how much it failed to grip me. In terms of actions and narrative flow things are fine; the story follows a solid path that makes sense and isn't contrived or forced for the sake of falsely producing tension. However it is the delivery where it takes this and does nothing of interest with it. The main problem is with the script; where it is shouting urgently then things are fine but it regularly has horridly flat scenes of dialogue while the cutting etc is going on and none of them really work. Of course it doesn't help that the performances mostly put me in mind of my last time I was in a forest. Thomas does manage to produce some tension when the action is the focus but he totally undercuts this by his flaccid inability to bring out this tension in his characters and his actors – after all, if they don't seem bothered by the whole thing, why should I the viewer be?As another review has stated the worst performance is mercifully the shortest – that of the boy Winter. Christ but he could not be less convincing, natural or sympathetic. It is rare for me to be shocked by the ineptitude of a performance but Winter achieved that with very few lines. I know he was a child but are you telling me he was the best child available to the casting director? Of the rest of the cast only Beatty stands out and that is mostly because his dialogue consists of being in charge and tough. Conversely all those blessed with flat lines give bland performances; the list is long but includes Patterson, Mannering, McDowall, Ayres and so on. Connery is only memorable for who he is rather than anything else.Overall a semi-engaging film that sadly has more weakness than strength. The simple premise should have allowed for great tension but the script and delivery let this fall down badly. Deserves a low-budget but intense remake – perhaps not of the detail but certainly using a similar premise.
goose_bird At a bank in Toronto,Canada, the accountants six year old son gets locked in the vault. The police are called and use a variety of methods to get him out including a large microphone, drilling and smashing. Do they get him out alive? Yes!!! I'm sure in its day the movie was a hit but the acting is pathetic and the little boy keeps on begging his daddy to let him out of the vault which is something I found really ANNOYING! Do not watch this film! I'm surprised the usually high class Channel 4 actually showed this, it deserves the late night slot on Channel 5. This type of film should be hidden in a dusty old warehouse, never to see the light of day again! The movie is all in black and white and is set in Canada, but all the actors speak in a high-class British accent. Overall **** / **********.