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Forgotten Friday Flick – “Timecrimes”

Time travel in cinema it doesn’t always have to have big extravagant effects to be effective as sometimes smaller can be better – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick!  Still within the realms of the wide world – but focusing outside the US of course – this week we head to Spain for a little past picture inspiration in the form of a foreign flick that dares to do high tech on no-budget.  It’s a nifty little ditty that’s a clever mix of horror, suspense and drama (all the things Hitchcock used to love!) all the while being a believable sci-fi flick about traveling through time that appropriately bends the brain and heightens the senses.  Careful what you spy through those prying eyes as you could accidentally witness some…Timecrimes.

Average guy and loving husband Hector is resting on the lawn chair in his back yard one day when he spots through his binoculars a nude woman amongst the trees a ways away.  He goes to investigate and ends up running into a masked man who assaults him and chases him to a nearby laboratory.  A lone attendant attempts to hide him in a machine that turns out to be a time machine…and then things get really scary.

If you think I’m revealing anymore, you’re nuts.  (Sorry spoil sports – watch this one yourself!)  Timecrimes was meant to be seen not read and the film has so many terrific twists and turns that it would be a crime to list any here.  What I can say is that Timecrimes is an intelligent film that truly takes pride in not treating its audience stupid.  The beauty of the film is how amazing and all together convincing the subject of time travel is shown on no less than a shoestring budget (stick that in your money machine and spend it!) and yet remains a taut thriller that’s actually thrilling.  From the first frame to the last, Director Nacho Vigalondo crafts every harrowing moment of the film with a master’s touch, a raw and real vibe that lingers long after the film concludes.

Not to mention the fact that not only does he cast the film with fresh faced unknowns, but actors who come across convincingly as real average people, which provides a jolt of extra jeopardy for the viewer.  As his unsuspecting lead, actor Karra Elejalde portrays the everyman vibe with the greatest of ease – it’s solid work.  As for time travel both in theory and practical, I can honestly say I’ve never seen the subject handled and then filmed in such a unique way – an A+ to Vigalondo and his production design team for imaginative vision that’s very believable.

Timecrimes plays out like a Philip K. Dick novel melded with a Hitchcockian sensibility, a rare and engaging combo indeed that makes for one seriously savory early movie that definitely launched the career of its helmer.  Vigalondo’s wave of films that followed would range from horrible (Extraterrestrial is almost unwatchable!) to very notable (Colossal was almost perfect…blame Jason Sudeikis!) but he still has yet to capture the mix of magical cinematic charms that play out so freely in Timecrimes.  Nevertheless this is one flick that is a must-see for all newbies and for those already familiar a re-watch is definitely in order – it would truly be a crime to not make the time to see this innovative outing.

Jason Coleman

I'm a passionate and opinionated film critic/movie journalist with over 20 years of experience in writing about film - now exclusively for WhySoBlu.com. Previous sites include nine years at Starpulse.com where I created Forgotten Friday Flick back in 2011, before that as Senior Entertainment Editor for The213.net and 213 Magazine, as well as a staff writer for JoBlo.com. My other love is doing cool events for the regular guy with my company Flicks For Fans alongside my friend, partner and Joblo.com writer James "Jimmy O" Oster. Check us out at www.Facebook.com/FlicksForFans.