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Seconds
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Seconds

1966
Drama
Sci-fi
1h 46m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 71.55% from 1097 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1097)
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Rated 23 Jan 2014
69
59th
If this is your idea of a movie, John Frankenheimer, then I'll have Seconds! (That one just barely beat out: How long it is before I knew that I was going to love this movie? About eleven minutes. Why?)
Rated 05 Dec 2010
84
81st
Excellent paranoid sci-fi thriller. The premise is somewhat similar to The Face of Another, which coincidentally was released the same year. While I think Teshigahara goes to slightly more interesting places with the idea, Frankenheimer manages some intriguing angles as well, especially when he utilizes unusual techniques like the subjective camera. There's a lengthy hippie scene that feels mostly unnecessary, and I saw the ending coming a mile away, but otherwise I have no complaints.
Rated 27 Feb 2010
6
95th
I watched this on a whim, Rock Hudson in a main role at this late date seemed like something to see. Needless to say, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Middle age malaise meets a twilight zone/kafka atmosphere to horrifying results. Special note for the last of that marvelous b&w work of James Wong Howe, he pulls out some crazy angles here. One hell of a watch.
Rated 25 Dec 2011
10
96th
Humans will never be satisfied with being human.
Rated 11 Sep 2008
94
94th
A hidden masterpiece, with a heightened expressionism rarely seen in American film, and a plot that mimics more foreign fare (like Teshigahara's The Face of Another). The conflict of personal vs. public identity certainly does not lack subtlety, but it sticks with you long after other thrillers have faded from memory.
Rated 16 Jan 2017
95
97th
It's like Eternal Sunshine meets Face of Another but it's treated like a horror film. Stunning. Vivid fever dream visuals and delicate handling of such complicated logic. And Rock Hudson with a spellbinding performance. This would not work without him. Perhaps the best thriller I've ever seen.
Rated 08 Aug 2010
86
84th
Quite a wonderful psychological horror film. It's very mysterious but not complicated to follow and provides some interesting perspectives on how we value life and experience.
Rated 29 Dec 2017
85
97th
Aspects of the much criticised middle section recall some of the great European art films of the 60's, but Seconds is an all American nightmare, functioning as a critique of the 'good life' based on success and material acquisition while addressing the universal problem related to the burden of being. Complete renewal is an impossibility because we can't escape our memories accumulated in time, and Howe's brilliant camerawork creates an intense disorienting expression of this despairing state.
Rated 15 Oct 2013
90
85th
"Is it easier to go forward when you know you can't go back?" Really well made. It's disorienting from the opening credits and through many extended scenes. It's dark, foreboding, and obvious things won't end well. While it may be apparent how things will turn up, it certainly doesn't hinder the process of getting there, which is absorbing and intoxicating in its hypnotic execution.
Rated 04 Nov 2014
35
33rd
Pretty shallow. It only shows the dude going to a wine orgy throwing a shitty party at his house and that's it, he wants a new life. He says they chose everything for him so he ended up doing all the same mistakes... but it doesn't show him doing anything like that.
Rated 06 Nov 2016
4
74th
An unsettling and off kilter imagination which bears resemblance to The Twilight Zone, and may also work as a companion piece to Teshigahara's The Face of Another from the same year. The plotting is trim but the atmosphere is thick, and its consideration of psychospiritual rebirth is related closely to then-emerging new age philosophies (as in the scene where Hudson is baptized in wine by a throng of hippies). Nevertheless, the central thematic conceit of "starting over" is age-old and timeless.
Rated 27 Sep 2010
9
91st
The best things always happen when it's raining.
Rated 10 Feb 2017
38
19th
Would have worked better as a twilight zone episode instead of a full length film.
Rated 29 Mar 2008
78
60th
A twisty sci-fi/horror flick about the flexibility of identity and the lurking truth that personal reinvention won't necessarily heal wounds of the soul. Frankenheimer directs with a cunning intrusiveness, extracting every last bit of creepiness out of every moment. Rock Hudson may have been a dandy realization of coveted vigorous masculinity (yeah, yeah, I know) circa 1966 but that doesn't mean he's much of an actor. The troubled undercurrents of his role simply seem beyond his capabilities.
Rated 22 Dec 2008
85
80th
An excellent cerebral sci-fi with great performances and a good message. Also the directing style of the film provided some very interesting shots and is one of the better movies of this era that I have seen.
Rated 19 Jun 2009
87
77th
A compelling sci-fi concept elevated by a personal story and made unique by its unsettling style.
Rated 13 Mar 2011
79
58th
Interesting if not entirely succesful 60s time capsule; dated in many regards, but tale of frustration with one's lot in life has some present-day resonance. Oddly cast Hudson is actually very good, playing against his heartthrob image, but film's strengths are in Frankenheimer's direction, which creates an unsettling, menacing atmosphere from the get-go, a creepy music score, and a matter-of-fact handling of a rather extraordinary sci-fi concept (even more so back in '66). A real curio.
Rated 19 Feb 2016
9
90th
A clever, well-rounded and stylishly framed sci-fi - one that, albeit a somewhat jarring tonal shift, is unashamed to capitalize on its premise in ways few directors would ever dare. Also the perfect film to show to your disaffected and embittered friends who are fed up with the drudgery of life.
Rated 24 Feb 2013
85
80th
Bold, disturbing, gripping, with some great ideas and a superb ending. Stylistically it is adventurous and though the expressionism didn't always work for me it certainly makes for an eye-catching piece of cinema. Like many of the best pieces of sci-fi it uses the sci-fi elements as a springboard for exploring real-world issues and ideas (in this case relating to personal identity).
Rated 26 Dec 2014
5
98th
I'd have been satisfied at it's Kafka-esque Twilight zone but the score and visuals raised this even higher. A glorious nightmare.
Rated 05 Mar 2011
84
51st
life sucks
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
98th
The fourth-best science fiction movie of all time, along with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and Tarkovsky's SOLARIS and STALKER. The counter-cultural elements seem sometimes to be disliked, but in my view they fit in perfectly. Best viewed without any knowledge of the narrative or themes. Re-watched October 2013 on Blu-ray: almost all elements are superb (e.g., probably Goldsmith's best score) and work very well together. Really is a one-off masterpiece. Just keep pluggin' away at the dream.
Rated 08 Jan 2019
95
87th
Great episode of the Twilight Zone you got here Mr. Frankenheimer.
Rated 22 Feb 2011
92
97th
The only other Frankenheimer I've seen is "The Manchurian Candidate", but based on these two the man clearly knew how to make a cynical, terrifying and savage thriller. Wong Howe's uneasy photography is superb in capturing the uncertainty, madness and horror of the proceedings. It also has a lot to say about ruthless capitalism, identity, and American culture.
Rated 10 Nov 2012
90
97th
Jürgen Müller writes in 'Movies of the 60s': "John Frankenheimer meditates on the legend of eternal youth, the power of money, and above all, on the nature of identity." I don't need to add much... only that cinematographer James Wong Howe is an absolute genius.
Rated 25 Nov 2013
50
45th
Liked half the film but hated half of it as well. Could have done without the hippie bohemian bullshit wine festival as well as some of the annoying cast (especially his lady friend Nora) Things are tied up nicely at the end though, easing my disdain towards the middle portion of the film.
Rated 30 Mar 2008
6
70th
I really appreciated its inventiveness, though I kept thinking back to "The Face of Another" which coincidentally came out the same year, and touched on the themes much better. Still, an interesting sci-fi.
Rated 19 Jun 2013
80
90th
Oddly similar to The Face of Another, but I thought that this film was more engaging.
Rated 21 Mar 2017
70
73rd
I was pleasantly surprised that this is not a boring, prudish piece of black and white crap. Well done.
Rated 03 Jan 2018
84
86th
I knew nothing about Seconds, and that set the table for a supreme cinematic ride. Fascinating from scene #1. Certain parts of its back half fell a little flat for me, but there was no denying that powerful finale. Great cinematography, music and performances aside, it was the unique premise, the disorientation and constant expectation of the unexpected, and the superb writing that I loved. Some of the most noticeably lyrical and intriguing dialogue I've heard in a long time. 3rd film of 2018.
Rated 04 Sep 2016
90
95th
insanın kaçınılmaz çaresizliğini, ona içkin paronayayla beraber ama buna rağmen günün bu derece içinde olarak anlatmak ve bunu görece uzak görünecek bir tasarımla yapabilmek... gerçekten de "en iyi şeyler hep yağmur yağarken oluyor."
Rated 25 Jun 2014
68
32nd
Features some very audacious cinematography (for its time or not) which really brings the audience into its subjective, distorted viewpoint. Very interesting story, but I'm not as enthusiastic about its execution -- some scenes feel useless (the grape-stomping scene is sooooo counter-culture, but now just feels outdated) and the character's change of mind in the latter part of the film feels rather sudden. I'm glad I watched this, I just don't know if I'd watch it again.
Rated 25 Sep 2012
90
80th
A nightmarish, chilling thriller about a man who literally struggles with identity. Rock Hudson and John Randolph give two great performances, but it is the tag team of Frankenheimer and cinematographer James Wong Howe who make this a must-see.
Rated 24 Oct 2010
74
72nd
I was thinking quite much what Thanklos said. Rock Hudson shined out of the cast and I also liked how nothing was free of charge in this story. Evidently there's a flip side you are not counting on. Basically human is never satisfied what he's got. He's constantly dreaming something better. Or just something he cannot possess.
Rated 22 Aug 2021
29
20th
I find it switching between enthralling and off-putting, with the first half being more enthralling and the second half being more off-putting. Key elements of Wilson's motivation were too opaque, while the strengths of the camerawork and the score were basically things not to my taste. (The best analogy -- I appreciate many arias, but I hate opera.)
Rated 21 Jan 2021
80
67th
Frankenheimer directs this with a lot of medium close-up/close-up shots, paying a lot of attention to the face of Arthur, which pushed the themes of identity. The disorienting nature of the camera work also mirrors his inner torment. Very impressed by the directorial effort here, but the script itself isn't always up to snuff and Hudson is fine, but unimpressive, and his character would have been more compelling in better hands. Great movie, just left me a little colder than I expected.
Rated 18 Aug 2016
5
81st
I can see why Brian Wilson went crazy
Rated 09 Feb 2020
75
43rd
Twilight Zone: The Arthouse Movie
Rated 21 Mar 2011
70
86th
Wonderful black and white cinematography helps complement an eerie atmosphere and a quite literal existential crisis. It's not engaging in every scene, but I always love the payoff of a well executed sci-fi (even one I know ahead of time).
Rated 14 Feb 2009
77
62nd
great camerawork, but the story is a bit on the light side, and some of the scenes just dont quite work. all around a great effort, tremedously ahead of its time, and an ending that is very predictable, but great nonetheless.
Rated 01 Feb 2010
88
78th
A very good movie about aging and second chances. Bleak, with fine performances by Rock Hudson and Will Geer.
Rated 23 Mar 2015
61
31st
claustrophobic, experimental camera work & some non-telling gaps in dialogue. I did like the idea of a bunch of people trying to form a new social circle, all with the false dream they are trying to posture as another person, what a farce.
Rated 05 Apr 2021
64
84th
"It's gonna be different from now on. A new face, a new name. I'll do the rest. I know it's gonna be different." Very edgy style with substance that could be improved. The concept of rebirth and consequences of straying from a set path fascinate me and this partially scratched that itch.
Rated 05 Sep 2013
95
93rd
a wonderful psychological thriller from frankenheimer. the cast is perfect and randolph and hudson are particularly brilliant. the film is beautifully shot by the legendary james wong howe. this is a mesmerizing tale which is gripping throughout. arthur's last night with his wife and the finale are two scenes i will never forget..........
Rated 16 Nov 2012
82
84th
I don't know if I've ever seen that much sweat in a film. This was a pleasantly surprising sci-fi/horror by Frankenheimer. I thought Rock Hudson did a good job. The ending was bleak which is something that always intrigues me as it seems films from the time period rarely end in similar ways.
Rated 16 Jan 2010
92
94th
Good believeable sci fi and intersting characters
Rated 24 Aug 2016
81
79th
Was losing my shit at the hippy berry festival/party scene there after. In those scenes I think even if you don't struggle with a fractured identity or an ever wondering mind of could life better if I was someone else/if I had a second chance you really get into the character's head. It's an obvious story but a good one. Maybe it seems obvious now cuz Twilight Zone basically mastered this kind of thing.
Rated 26 Mar 2007
80
68th
Sometimes these limited-FX sf movies that are more about their characters can work. This one does.
Rated 25 Sep 2012
87
81st
great sci-fi thriller with a very interesting concept and wondeful black&white cinematography
Rated 19 Jan 2017
75
70th
Çıktığı yıl izlesem aklım çıkardı herhalde ama bilim kurgu izleyicisi olarak idmanlıyız bu tarza. Buna rağmen gayet iyi film.
Rated 20 Apr 2009
53
39th
John Randolph is just incredible in his part of the film. It has a good, interesting premise, but it never fully plumbs the depths of the main character's emotions, or takes him on an exciting adventure. This would have made a good episode of Twilight Zone, but as a feature it seems to idle for too long.
Rated 12 Nov 2013
90
81st
Paranoia thriller from the 60s that is creepy from the superb opening credits. Exquisite b&w cinematography, a script that keeps you on edge and a strong performance by Rock Hudson (the best I've seen from him) combine to make one effectively chilling movie. Like many films of the period, it has more of a desire to leave the audience pondering its disturbing messages rather than tie the plot together with a cheerful conclusion.
Rated 26 Feb 2020
80
75th
Weird, man.
Rated 26 Sep 2020
1
8th
Rated 27 Jan 2013
76
72nd
ölen birinden gelen telefon, icecege uyusturucu karistirmak, santaj, yüz nakli, yeni bir hayat, Pan, pagan ayini, bagbozumu, üzüm, festivali cirilciplak, sarap festivali, Sects (düzenli olarak inanc degistirme), ressam (Kahramanimiz öldügünü bildigi arkadasindan telefon alir. arkadasi onu bir yere cagirir. bulusma yerine gider. kendisine bir seyler ikram edilir. beklerken halisülasyon görür. sonrasinda kendisine yüz nakli teklif edilir. kabul etmez. santaj yapilir. Biraz agir, biraz müstehcen)
Rated 16 Jul 2020
80
78th
If the still-shocking storyline of a way to transform from the middle age blues to a brand-new life doesn't throw you off balance, the off-kilter camera shots and the staccato editing probably will. I think the thing I'll remember most from this incredible psycho-thriller is how much people sweat.
Rated 21 Mar 2011
100
96th
watched: 2011, 2013, 2017
Rated 28 May 2016
88
91st
Do not watch if you are a paranoid schizophrenic. That said, I wonder what happened in 1964-5 that lead three directors across three continents to make outstanding films relating to identity in the same year.
Rated 14 Feb 2007
95
95th
O Segundo Rosto estreava há 55 anos nos EUA. Entrei numa bad pós filme porque ele é o retrato perfeito destino para os eternos insatisfeitos, a sociedade não gosta dos insatisfeitos, a morte deles é a medida que acalma a todos como demonstrado nesse filme, se você não se comporta como gado manso com o destino a única saída é podá-lo. Um filme bem impressionante, a primeira vez que o vi há algumas décadas foi bastante chocante, continua filmaço tanto na forma quanto no conteúdo. Bo
Rated 18 Sep 2022
85
88th
Stylish, funny, still fresh. No one wants what they think they want. Loved the pipe-organ-heavy score, and the credits are yet another Saul Bass banger. Transition between 2 actors for the main character is convincing and Hudson with his posture and voice comes across as much older and more beaten-down than what's on the surface, uncomfortable in his new skin.
Rated 17 Feb 2020
82
82nd
A black-and-white thriller with a sci-fi twist that remains gripping and thought-provoking decades later, all the way up to the haunting conclusion of the story. The cinematography is way ahead of its time. The only thing holding it back from my top tier is the somewhat drawn-out midsection.
Rated 13 Mar 2022
76
48th
Jan 17, 2018 Kurtköy
Rated 02 Aug 2016
80
76th
A quick watch.
Rated 04 Aug 2022
90
87th
This film was a critical and commercial failure in 1966, breaking John Frankenheimer's successful streak. Frankenheimer was quite experimental with his earlier successful thrillers, but he pushes even farther here, creating a really visually dazzling dark and alienating thriller that examines consumerism and capitalism in a really pessimistic light. Probably not what people going to a Rock Hudson film were looking for.
Rated 07 May 2014
68
70th
The problem is that it's too easy to draw a kind of "appreciate what you've got" moral from this, and it takes some mental effort to block that tripe out of one's mind - but to the extent that I managed it, this was quite creepy and had a bit of a "The Trial" vibe. It's one of Rock Hudson's best performances, but most of the credit is probably due to legendary cinematographer James Wong Howe. Seconds is all about the atmosphere, which is his doing.
Rated 17 Oct 2015
73
65th
Loved the camerawork and Hudson's performance. Very creepy atmosphere. Felt it got a little slow in the middle.
Rated 24 Jan 2013
87
80th
A weary, unfulfilled banker is transformed by a mysterious agency into a handsome young painter, but he cannot escape his true self. A very bleak, very melancholy look at personal freedom and identity, with strong performances from John Randolph and Rock Hudson as the protagonist. A few gaps in the script are smoothed over by John Frankenheimer's unsettlingly precise direction; James Wong Howe's queasy, distorted cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's gloomy score add hugely to the atmosphere.
Rated 15 Jan 2010
57
14th
857
Rated 11 Jan 2014
70
78th
More of a horror movie than SF, IMHO. The Kafkaesque consequences of a fresh start.
Rated 06 Aug 2018
65
31st
This movie is much less interesting from the artistic point of view than the reviews may suggest. A typical case to be drooled over by snobby film "connoisseurs" who don't really know what they are talking about. In reality, it is barely worth the time you'll spend watching it.
Rated 25 Mar 2016
70
61st
This Faustian sci-fi drama begins and ends well - the haunting finale is particularly memorable - but there's little to enjoy in the uninteresting middle period. Goldsmith's music and James Wong Howe's cinematography establish a claustrophobic tone terrifically, as does the deliberate lack of exposition, but it still struggles to generate much tension.
Rated 24 Nov 2022
84
82nd
A very, very good Sci-fi thriller. Some plot holes and unexplained moments (what's the deal with the guy who recognizes him in the airport?) The first third or a little more is fantastic and the ending is great as well--the middle drags a bit, though. Will Geer is wonderfully creepy in a smaller but important role, and everything from the music to the opening credits really stand out.
Rated 12 Oct 2021
75
49th
Creepy and strange in lots of good ways. Some of the camerawork and music feels invasive at times, which knocks it down a notch for me. But I appreciate the critique of the idea that one can simply make some exterior changes and thereby alter one's own identity. Such change always involves doing the work.
Rated 05 Sep 2015
65
37th
Some trippy imagery and symbolism here and there, but overall Seconds feels like an extended Twilight Zone episode that didn't need to be extended - at least when it comes to its themes, which seem to be another way of saying "life's what you make it" with an unrelated unforgiving pessimism added on top for style. Seconds stands out among films of its time, but isn't exactly a lost classic.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
54
8th
#920
Rated 07 Dec 2015
8
71st
Thanks in large part to the claustrophobic and disorienting camerawork by James Wong Howe, 'Seconds' is a haunting and paranoia-inducing exploration of the various hurdles we as humans must confront on the subject of understanding our identity and even our purpose.
Rated 11 Aug 2014
95
92nd
Seconds delves into the psychological dimensions of alienation as that it's a sci-fi story. But it doesn't tell us that by brandishing strange technologies or creatures, or any special effects at all, or anything remotely overt in the sci-fi regard. It is purely based on what the main character is told, and what he believes and thus what we believe.

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