Split Second
A hard-bitten London detective hunts a towering alien serial killer through a flooded, polluted future city.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- dark
- absurd
- gritty
- cult movie night
- late night horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as derivative, dull, and poorly executed, though its cast, effects, and accidental humor helped it develop a cult following.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The 2008 London setting is several feet underwater after global warming melts polar ice caps, shaping the film’s action and atmosphere.
Veteran policeman Stone investigates murders while tracking a ten-foot alien creature through flooded London.
Global warming, pollution, flooding, and civic chaos directly establish the film’s dystopian crime world.
Stone receives a new rookie partner while pursuing the creature responsible for his former partner’s death.
Films like Split Second, and why
Blade Runner
shared flooded dystopian cityscape, cyberpunk atmosphere, science fiction crime investigation, and creature menace
Dredd
shared future-noir setting, police protagonist, serial killer investigation, and oppressive urban atmosphere
Predator 2
shared action-driven monster hunting, dark humor, practical creature effects, and cult genre energy
The Host
shared eco-horror premise, apocalyptic environmental collapse, and relentless creature threat
Movie Details
- Director
- Tony Maylam
- Release Date
- 1992-05-01
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (379)
Cast
- Rutger Hauer
- Kim Cattrall
- Michael J. Pollard
- Alastair Duncan
- Alun Armstrong
- Pete Postlethwaite
- Ian Dury
- Roberta Eaton
- Tony Steedman
- Steven Hartley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Night Flight Plus, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ARROW
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Split Second about?
- A hard-bitten London detective hunts a towering alien serial killer through a flooded, polluted future city.
- What is Split Second like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Split Second as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Split Second violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Split Second as graphic.
- What did critics think of Split Second?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as derivative, dull, and poorly executed, though its cast, effects, and accidental humor helped it develop a cult following.
- Which films are like Split Second?
- Films with a similar feel include Blade Runner, Dredd, Predator 2, and The Host.
- How long is Split Second?
- Split Second runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Split Second?
- In United States, Split Second streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Night Flight Plus, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ARROW.
