Movie Info

What do you do when you're given the deadline for the end of the world? Steve De Jarnatt's insidiously clever and utterly gripping nuclear thriller be...(read more...) gins as a romantic lark--amiable swing trombonist Anthony Edwards meets girl of his dreams Mare Winningham--and turns into a nightmarish vision of society out of control. It all turns on the chance pick-up of a ringing pay phone at 4 a.m. and a panicked voice breathlessly warning Edwards that World War III has been launched. Genuine wake-up call or elaborate prank? De Jarnatt plays his hand close to the chest, which only increases the unnerving tension as word spreads like a contagion. Future E.R. star Edwards is perfectly cast as the everyman driven to reckless desperation and director De Jarnatt creates wonders on a small budget. His vision of L.A.'s Miracle Mile gripped in the blind panic of a careening traffic jam is both believable and chilling. --Sean Axmaker

Director: Steve De Jarnatt

MPAA: R

Running Time: 87 min.

Release Date: Jun 01, 1988

Cast: Alan Rosenberg, Anthony Edwards, Claude Earl Jones, Denise Crosby, John Agar, Kelly Jo Minter, Kurt Fuller, Lou Hancock, Mare Winningham, Mykelti Williamson, O-Lan Jones, Robert DoQui