Timecop
Directed by Peter Hyams
- thriller
- science fiction
- action
The story
In 2004, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past.
What it’s like
Glossy mid-90s studio sheen: bright, saturated daylight in present-day scenes, cool steel-blue interiors inside the time-travel facility, and a lot of slick reflective surfaces, chrome and glass. The past sequences shift into warmer, dusty palettes, sepia-tinged 1860s streets and cramped 1920s rooms, with the camera staying fairly conventional and well-lit rather than moody. Action is brisk and punchy, with clean, widescreen staging of fights and chases, handheld only occasionally. The sound is a big, bombastic 90s action score with synth stingers and driving percussion, and the time-jump effects carry a crackle of sci-fi shimmer. Vibe: breezy, high-gloss, bit goofy, a Saturday-afternoon action rental. Violence is frequent and physical, with punches, kicks, gunfire and some bloodless-to-light gore; sexual content is minimal and romance is a light, flirtatious thread. Its arc follows a stoic agent forced to confront a past connection, with the tone staying more playful than bleak. Suits fans of martial arts spectacle and fun, undemanding time-travel adventure who don't need anything gentle or contemplative.
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