Michael_Elliott Five Minutes to Live (1961) ** (out of 4) Bizarre thriller about a couple thieves who take a woman (Cay Forrester) hostage to get money from her husband (Donald Woods) who just happens to be Vice President at a local bank. One of the bad guys (Johnny Cash) stays behind with the wife while the other goes to the bank and unlucky for the woman, this guy is a raving maniac who enjoys to torture women. Being a fan of Cash I had always wanted to check this film out and now that I've seen it I'm really not sure what to think. On one hand, it's pretty silly story-wise as there are all sorts of plot holes in the thieves big plans but on the other hand you have some rather outrageous scenes of violence that will put the previous year's PSYCHO to shame. As a "thriller" the film works in parts because the violence is rather shocking. Cash not only physically abuses her with countless slaps, throws to the floor and pistol-whips but he also comes on to her sexuality and not in a consensual manor. The scenes of violence are rather tense but at the same time I can't help but think in some ways that the film is a spoof. Now, what I consider a spoof might hit others as bad film-making but just take a look at the editing here. The film goes for these over dramatic moments by quick edits to the actor's face and then we get silly one-liners. Some of the dialogue given out must have been seen as extremely silly as I'm doubtful a master writer like Cash would be saying them as something real. As far as Cash's performance goes, it's not too bad. He's obviously not a trained actor and he makes some silly facial gestures throughout but for the most part he comes off believable as this psycho. Character actor Woods has seen better days but he isn't too bad. Forrester on the other hand is pretty bad and many of her tears come off incredibly fake and at times laughable. We even get a young Ron Howard playing the couple's child. Cash plays his guitar throughout the film and he even sings the title song, which never made it onto any of his Greatest Hits collections for obvious reasons. To say this film is uneven would be an understatement but it's so bizarre that it's easy to recommend to fans of horror, film noir or just downright strange movies.

sol1218 (There are Spoilers) Being told in flashback by gangster Fred Dorella, Vic Taybak, we get the lowdown of the bank heist that he was involved with the on the lamb cop killer Johnny Cabot, Johnny Cash.Johnny fled him home state of New Jersey after a blotched warehouse robbery where his partner Pete,Max Manning, and two policemen were shot and killed. Cooped up with his gun moll Doris, Midge Ware,in this flea bag motel in Carmellia Gardens outside L.A Johnny is edgy and a bit irritated in not being on a bank job where he can get back into action as a seasoned criminal. It's when Johnny's contact in town bowling alley owner Max, Merle Travis, gets in touch with him about a pending bank robbery that things start to pick up for the by now deeply depressed, in being stuck in dull as dishwater suburbia, Johnny Cabot. Meeting New York hoodlum Fred Dorella Johnny not only gets the job that he's been craving for, as the both wheel and hit man, but as a bonus finds out who set him and the late Pete up in the blotched warehouse job back in Jersey.The plan thought out by Dorella to rob the Harper Federal Trust in Carmellia is foolproof with Johnny holding the bank's vice president Ken Wilson, Donald Woods, wife Nacny, Kay Forrester, hostage in her suburban home. Dorella is then to get Wilson to give him $70,000.00 from the bank vault in order to insure his wife's safety. The plan as air-tight as it is has in fact a number of very serious flaws in it that both Dorella and Johnny, having no idea of Wilson's secret love life, didn't take into account. There's also the problem of both Wilson and Nacy's six year-old boy Bobby, little Ronnie or later to be known as movie mogul Ron Howard, who has a habit of showing up unexpectedly from school. Johnny who would kill a man or woman just for looking at him cross-eyed or not appreciating his country & western music, he plays the guitar in his spear time, has this thing about shooting adolescents.Jonny Cash, in what seems to be his first movie role, has the time of his life playing the ruthless and murderous Johnny Cabot doing as good of a performance as you would have expected from a young James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart. Even when Johnny is slapping Nancy, and threatening to blow her brains out, around he still finds time to play his guitar, Cash also wrote and sings the films title song "Five Minutes to live", and crack a number of jokes that puts off the edge of the tension that's built up in the film. Wilson who's being blackmailed by Dorella to clean out his bank vault is really not all that interested in his wife's safety since he's planning to leave her for his girlfriend Ellen Harcourt, Pamela Mason, and fly to Las Vages to get married that very evening!Everything falls apart as both Dorella, in the bank, and Johnny, at the Wilson home, get royally screwed not by Ken Wilson and Nancy but by a number of people or innocent bystanders, that includes little Bobby, who unexpectedly get involved with their so-called master plan. Like all perfect crimes the one that Dorella and Johnny concocted didn't factor in the unexpected and it was the unexpected that in the end did them both in.

winner55 Note: the Germany release date is 1965; however, the appearance by Ron Howard alone makes this a 1959 production - so, was it or not released in the US when first produced? A very odd crime suspense drama. Very low budget. The violence is more threatened than presented, including an implicit rape that is kept off-camera. The mature issues involved make the intended audience problematic - it's not kinky enough to be a true exploitation thriller, certainly too kinky for straight movie houses of the era.Johnny Cash is the stand-out performance here, hands down. Everyone else in the film is a recognized character actor of the day, and they all perform professionally; it is exactly Cash's lack of professional acting chops, plus his natural charisma and generally wired energy, that give him an unpredictability that reeks of danger throughout the film. Further, there is so much more of his character here that wants to be developed, such as his odd commitment to avoiding hurting the child played by Howard.The low budget leaves that undeveloped, and probably accounts for the lack of direct action the film desperately needs - there should be some truly violent act somewhere in the middle of the film's running time to balance off the tension (say, the killing of a real door-to-door salesman who happens into the hostage house by accident), but it never shows up. Consequently, the finale can't avoid feeling unsatisfying.This is actually emphasized by a weird little coda where the couple drive off... Well, I won't spoil it; but the tone of the very last scene is decidedly late 30's or late 40's - doesn't fit the rest of the film at all.Definitely worth seeing, but don't expect any diamond in the rough - except for Mr. Cash, of course, running blues licks on his guitar in a manner not typical of his recorded musical performances of the time.

The_Void This film is best remembered for the fact that it stars country legend Johnny Cash is his first film role. This actually lowered my expectations for the film, as I'm not a massive fan of Cash and films that go down in history for the casting of a non-actor are often not very good...but this film has far more going for it than it's lead actor, and overall I've got to say that it's criminal that this hasn't won itself a more esteemed place in cinema history. It's clear that the film was shot on a very low budget as it features a very grainy black and white picture, a small central cast and some suspect acting from all corners; but all this stuff doesn't matter, as the screenplay is well written and there's a lot of fun to be had with this film. The plot follows a couple of guys who think they've discovered the perfect get rich quick scheme. One of them pretends to be a salesman in order to get into the house of the president of the women's association, while the other one pretends to be a customer at her husband's bank. After explaining the situation to her husband, they offer him a trade; his money or his wife.Overall, it has to be said that this little thriller isn't very original as there have been a lot of films in this same vein; but Bill Karn's film approaches it's subject with a fresh view, and the way that the director continually ensures the tone is always bleak provides a major highlight. It's easy to believe that the central character is in danger through Cash's loose cannon performance, and the way that the action focuses on two central locations; the family home and the bank, ensures that the plot always takes centre stage, and it is made interesting through its memorable cast of characters. Even though Cash wasn't predominantly an actor, his performance is really good and the way that the director lets him play his guitar makes best use of him. And on a personal note, I think it's good of Cash to put himself at risk to play a sadistic maniacal character. The rest of the support cast play second fiddle to the musical genius, but each one gives a good turn and this ensures that the film is elevated above its low budget thriller status. It all boils down to an exciting and satisfying climax that both deals fitting comeuppance, and rounds it all off nicely. Overall, this film is well worth tracking down and comes highly recommended!