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Released by: Warner Archive
Released on: April 5, 2012.
Director: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Jim Brown, George Kennedy, Frederic March, Lynn Carlin, Don Stroud
Year: 1970
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The Movie:
Ralph Nelson's 1970 take on racial tensions in the south starts off with a fantastic scene that perfectly sets up what's to come - an egg hits the pavement in a hot southern town, while people just sort of blankly look at it while it sizzles and cooks. From here, we meet the new town Sheriff, Jim Price (Jim Brown), a black man instantly disliked by most of the town's white population and seen as a sell out by most of the black population. With neither party particularly happy to see him in this position of power, things start to get very tricky for Price, who really only wants to just do his job.
The town's last Sheriff, John Little (George Kennedy), isn't too happy to have lost the election and is well aware that it was the interference of northerner's that got Price elected in the first place, and soon the two get into it. Jim is bound and determined to make his mark as Sheriff and do his job right, but the townsfolk aren't going to let the happen. Little helps out with the best of begrudging intentions, but Price doesn't want it. Tensions start to mount when Price arrests the son of a local influential type for driving while impaired. The mayor (Frederic March) makes his feelings pretty clear but Price intends to enforce the law now matter how tough it might get for him.
More a film of great moments than a great film as a whole, …Tick…Tick…Tick… spends a whole lot of time on the build up - and what a great damn job it does with that build up - before coming to a conclusion that, while not inappropriate, seems to pale against what came before it. The movie does an excellent job of putting us smack dab in the middle of some nasty racial tension and really lets us get a feel for Brown's character, a proud man who rightly intends to do his job to the best of his ability and not let outside influences force his hand. He's not a perfect person by any stretch but he's got a nobility to him that's admirable and the relationship that develops, no matter how begrudgingly, between he and Kennedy's character provides a strong back bone for the film.
In terms of visuals the small southern town setting has been done lots of times in films like Corman's The Intruder among plenty of others, but if it's maybe not the most original setting for a film like this Nelson does a good job of letting some of the local flavor in. The smooth camera work gives up some interesting little details of the town and its populace while a clever use of close up shots helps to build tension and reveal character feelings and intentions. There's a heart here, some smarts behind the fairly pedestrian script about a black guy and a white guy who put aside their differences for the common good. Unfortunately it just can't keep the tension as thick as you might want it to for the duration.
There's a lot to like about …Tick…Tick…Tick… however, as it's not just a good looking movie but it is a well acted film too. The two leads offer up some strong acting here, with Brown owning every scene he's in and Kennedy picking up what little slack is left. This is one that's definitely worth seeing, especially for fans of Kennedy and Brown - it just should have maybe had a stronger ending than it does.
Video/Audio/Extras:
…Tick…Tick…Tick… looks nice on Warner Archive's 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen DVD transfer, an effectively gritty and occasionally hot looking image that feels right in tune with the director's intentions. Colors are decent if occasionally a little faded, black levels aren't perfect but are acceptable, and detail generally pretty solid despite some minor print damage and heavy grain at times. All in all, the image is definitely good enough.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono track sounds good, offering up clear dialogue without any noticeable background hiss and the score sounds very good. The levels are well balanced and there are no problems here to complain about.
There are no extras outside of a quick TV spot for the feature, just a static menu. The movie is divided into chapters in ten minute intervals.
The Final Word:
…Tick…Tick…Tick… is good when it should have been great. The movie builds really nicely and features some excellent performances, particularly from Brown who really brings his best to the movie. The pay off, however, isn't quite as impressive as you'd expect it to be and the soundtrack dates the movie in a bad way. The good outweighs that bad though, and this is one worth seeing - the nice looking DVD from Warner Archive is the right way to do just that.
