Six Minutes to Midnight is an interesting period drama which is based on true events, but due to the pacing and lack of depth, it becomes a predictable and tedious watch.
Written by Joe Brown
Set in the summer of 1939 Britain, influential and high-ranking families of Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to a finishing school in an English town. Sent there to learn the English language and become ambassadors for Nazi Germany. When the body of a former teacher is found dead a new teacher is sent to the school, but he has an ulterior motive and receives orders from a higher source. Thus what ensues is a tale of espionage where nobody knows the true intentions of each character.
The cast of Six Minutes to Midnight is fantastic, with the likes of Eddie Izzard and Judi Dench playing the lead roles. Seeing Dench on screen is always a treat and she commands every moment of screen time with great maturity. Izzard, also gives a strong performance as the lead protagonist and is engaging throughout. Furthermore, The set and costume design is really superb and you completely feel the 1930s and early 1940s setting.
Unfortunately, this movie is not half as interesting as the trailer made it out to be. The pacing is so fast and does not work in the favour of the movie. It jumps from scene to scene and does not explore each character in enough depth or the motives of their actions. It can also become a little confusing as to where the film is going, it would have benefited from a longer run time. There are certainly benefits of a shorter movie but this film needed more time to allow us as the audience to understand the characters and appreciate this story.
Due to the thriller premise, the film relies on the twists in the storyline and deceitful nature of the characters. Almost expecting us, as the audience, to not see or expect what was going to happen. Sadly, this is a very predictable film and most audience members will quite easily see who are the heroes and antiheroes, which makes it a little dull. For a thriller and drama movie like this, to not get this aspect of the movie right was a real shame and hurts the overall outlook for the film.
A fine movie that looks great and has a fairly interesting storyline. But with the material that they did have and a fantastic cast, it really does feel like an opportunity missed.