Two Seconds

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, Two Seconds follows Edward G. Robinson’s John Allen as he reflects on his life in the seconds after he’s executed via the electric chair – with the character specifically recalling the circumstances that would eventually lead to his demise. It’s an intriguing premise that’s employed to sporadically watchable yet mostly underwhelming effect by LeRoy, as the filmmaker, working from Harvey Thew’s screenplay, delivers a slow-moving drama that is, by and large, unable to disguise its stage-play origins for the bulk of its running time – with the movie progressing from one protracted, talky sequence to the next with little in the way of momentum or connective tissue. (It doesn’t help, either, that LeRoy shoots the picture like a filmed play, for the most part.) There’s little doubt, then, that Two Seconds‘ tolerable atmosphere is due to Robinson’s striking, frequently hypnotic performance and a smattering of compelling sequences, with, in terms of the former, Robinson turning in scenery-chewing yet fairly captivating work that generally compensates for the less-than-enthralling bent of Thew’s script. (This is especially true of the actor’s tour-de-force efforts in the movie’s closing minutes.) The final result is an erratic endeavor that feels like it could and should be so much better, which is a shame, certainly, given the novelty of the film’s setup and its assortment of agreeable elements.

** out of ****

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