Two-Minute Warning (1976)

Director:

Larry Peerce

Writers:

Edward Hume (screenplay)
George La Fountaine Sr. (novel)

Release Date:

12 November 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

For some...too much time to wait. For the rest...too little time to run.

Plot:

Broadcast television version: A group of art thieves plan a daring robbery by using a sniper to cause...

Plot Keywords:

Sniper | Panic | SWAT Team | Stadium | Football Game

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Capt. Peter Holly
John Cassavetes	...	Button
Martin Balsam	...	McKeever
Beau Bridges	...	Mike Ramsay
Marilyn Hassett	...	Lucy
David Janssen	...	Steve
Jack Klugman	...	Sandman
Gena Rowlands	...	Janet
Walter Pidgeon	...	The Pickpocket
Brock Peters	...	Paul
David Groh	...	Al
Mitch Ryan	...	The priest (as Mitchell Ryan)
Joe Kapp	...	Charlie Tyler
Pamela Bellwood	...	Peggy Ramsay
Jon Korkes	...	Jeffrey

Runtime:

115 min | USA:180 min (TV version) (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1987) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1977) | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1977) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 3911 S. Figueroa Street, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

The pickpocket is played by Walter Pidgeon who co-starred in Harry in Your Pocket (1973), a film about pickpockets.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After maintenance man Brock Peters is struck in the face by the assassin with a rifle butt and falls 60 feet to his death, Charlton Heston's character tells other policemen that Brock was "butt stroked" off the ladder. This is not correct military or police jargon. The only people who were "butt stroked" were poor Heston, who had to keep a straight face while he said it; poor Brock, who supposedly suffered the indignity; and the producers, who paid some expert to advise them and left the line in the movie.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

A very likable and suspenseful film!

As a fan of suspense, I definitely have rated this film as a classic edge-of-your seat cliffhanger. It contained all of the elements of a real-life thriller. The actual mounting of the suspense itself up until the end is the most rewarding effect this film possesses. As frightening and terrifying as the climax was, it nevertheless demonstrated how the actions of one individual can cause a catastrophe to unfold.