Two-Minute Warning
Encyclopedia
Two-Minute Warning is a 1976 suspense
and action film
directed by Larry Peerce
and starring Charlton Heston
, John Cassavetes
, Martin Balsam
, Beau Bridges
, Jack Klugman
, Gena Rowlands
, and David Janssen
. It was based on the novel of the same name written by George La Fountaine, Sr. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing.
(Warren Miller) positions himself at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
prior to a professional football
championship similar to The Super Bowl. He is spotted by a Goodyear Blimp
camera. Police and SWAT
team are immediately called in by the stadium manager Sam McKeever (Martin Balsam
).
Police Captain Peter Holly (Charlton Heston
), working with SWAT team Sergeant Chris Button (John Cassavetes
), devises a plan to capture the sniper before the conclusion of the game.
Multiple fans attending the game are introduced. They include Steve and Janet (David Janssen
and Gena Rowlands
), an argumentative middle-aged couple; Stu Sandman (Jack Klugman
), a gambling addict; a Catholic priest (Mitchell Ryan
), who is a friend of quarterback Charlie Tyler; young married couple Mike and Peggy Ramsay (Beau Bridges
and Pamela Bellwood
); an elderly pickpocket (Walter Pidgeon
) and football fan Al (David Groh
), who begins flirting with Lucy (Marilyn Hassett
) when he notices her date (Jon Korkes) is more interested in the game than in her.
Stadium's maintenance director Paul (Brock Peters
) discovers the sniper's presence and attempts to confront him. The sniper strikes Paul with the butt of his rifle
, and, undetected by fans, causes Paul to fall several stories, severely injured. SWAT team members position themselves on stadium light towers to take aim on the sniper's nest.
Mike Ramsay spots the sniper with his binoculars. He reports it to the police, but rather than thank him, they question him suspiciously and then physically overpower him.
Shortly after the game's two-minute warning
, the SWAT team is given the green light to go after the sniper. Seeing that he is surrounded, the sniper opens fire, shooting randomly into the crowd. His shots cause a massive riot in which the panicked fans spill onto the field.
Many security men, Coliseum personnel, and spectators are killed or wounded. Marksmen perched atop stadium light towers fall or hang by their tethers after getting shot. Fleeing spectators are crushed or trampled underfoot while rushing towards exit tunnels. A few lose their footing while climbing down wall-ivy trestles. Steve, Stu, Chris, Peggy, and the pickpocket are among those shot (Chris and Peggy survive). Mike escapes from police custody during the riot and is reunited with Peggy and their children once the stadium empties of people. Ultimately, the sniper is killed by Peter, Chris, and other members of the SWAT team.
Searching through his wallet, the officers learn the sniper's name: Carl Cook. Cook dies, revealing nothing about his intent. Button points out that although they know nothing about Cook, over the next few weeks, the media will discover every irrelevant detail about Cook's life and question why the officers had to kill him.
genre, complete with an all-star cast attempting to survive an immense riot created by the sniper. Joe Kapp
, a former NFL
quarterback
for the Minnesota Vikings
(and Boston Patriots
), plays a small role as veteran quarterback Charlie Tyler.
The majority of the movie was filmed following the 1975
football season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
. The game footage for the full stadium shots of the L.A. Coliseum was from the Pac-8 college football
game between Stanford
(4-3-1) and USC (7-1), played on November 8, 1975. Stanford pulled off an upset and won 13-10. The game program used in the production was from the UCLA vs. USC
game, with an additional new cover.
devised a gimmick where moviegoers were not allowed to enter the theater at the moment the football game's two-minute warning began in the film.
negotiated with film's company Universal Studios
to film additional scenes for its television premiere in 1978. The new scenes would detail an art heist, with the sniper serving as a decoy so robbers could escape without detection. The additional scenes, 30 minutes total in length, were added for the film's TV showing while 45 minutes of the original version were removed. Director Larry Pierce disowned the TV version, which credits the pseudonymous "Gene Palmer" as director and Francesca Turner (who also helped doctor David Lynch
's Dune
for TV) for the "teleplay". When shown on network television, this version of Two-Minute Warning is often shown rather than the original theatrical release. The television version was not included when the film was released to video and DVD.
Suspense
Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. Suspense is not exclusive to fiction, though. Suspense may operate in any situation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic...
and action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
directed by Larry Peerce
Larry Peerce
Larry Peerce is an American film and TV director whose work includes the theatrical feature Goodbye, Columbus, the early rock and roll concert film The Big T.N.T. Show, and One Potato, Two Potato , the first U.S...
and starring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
, Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
, Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
, Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman
Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
, Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands is an American actress of film, stage and television. The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner is best known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, in two of which, Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence, she gave Academy...
, and David Janssen
David Janssen
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
. It was based on the novel of the same name written by George La Fountaine, Sr. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing.
Plot
An unknown sniperSniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
(Warren Miller) positions himself at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
prior to a professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
championship similar to The Super Bowl. He is spotted by a Goodyear Blimp
Goodyear Blimp
The Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events...
camera. Police and SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
team are immediately called in by the stadium manager Sam McKeever (Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
).
Police Captain Peter Holly (Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
), working with SWAT team Sergeant Chris Button (John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
), devises a plan to capture the sniper before the conclusion of the game.
Multiple fans attending the game are introduced. They include Steve and Janet (David Janssen
David Janssen
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
and Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands is an American actress of film, stage and television. The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner is best known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, in two of which, Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence, she gave Academy...
), an argumentative middle-aged couple; Stu Sandman (Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman
Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
), a gambling addict; a Catholic priest (Mitchell Ryan
Mitchell Ryan
Mitchell Ryan is an American actor most recently known for playing Edward Montgomery on the sitcom Dharma & Greg. He also worked with his on-screen wife from Dharma & Greg, Susan Sullivan, in the short-lived series Julie Farr, M.D..Ryan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Louisville,...
), who is a friend of quarterback Charlie Tyler; young married couple Mike and Peggy Ramsay (Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
and Pamela Bellwood
Pamela Bellwood
Pamela Bellwood is an American actress most famous for her role as Claudia Blaisdel Carrington on the 1980s prime time soap opera, Dynasty....
); an elderly pickpocket (Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
) and football fan Al (David Groh
David Groh
David Lawrence Groh was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Joe Gerard in the 1970s television series Rhoda, opposite Valerie Harper.-Early life and career:...
), who begins flirting with Lucy (Marilyn Hassett
Marilyn Hassett
Marilyn Hassett is an American screen and television actress.-Biography:Hassett is best known for her portrayal of Jill Kinmont is the film The Other Side of the Mountain , which was directed by Larry Peerce, who chose her for the lead from several hundred hopefuls...
) when he notices her date (Jon Korkes) is more interested in the game than in her.
Stadium's maintenance director Paul (Brock Peters
Brock Peters
Brock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird...
) discovers the sniper's presence and attempts to confront him. The sniper strikes Paul with the butt of his rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, and, undetected by fans, causes Paul to fall several stories, severely injured. SWAT team members position themselves on stadium light towers to take aim on the sniper's nest.
Mike Ramsay spots the sniper with his binoculars. He reports it to the police, but rather than thank him, they question him suspiciously and then physically overpower him.
Shortly after the game's two-minute warning
Two-minute warning
In the National Football League, the two-minute warning is given when two minutes of game time remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i.e. near the end of the second and fourth quarters. There is an additional two-minute warning in the rare event only two minutes remain in an overtime...
, the SWAT team is given the green light to go after the sniper. Seeing that he is surrounded, the sniper opens fire, shooting randomly into the crowd. His shots cause a massive riot in which the panicked fans spill onto the field.
Many security men, Coliseum personnel, and spectators are killed or wounded. Marksmen perched atop stadium light towers fall or hang by their tethers after getting shot. Fleeing spectators are crushed or trampled underfoot while rushing towards exit tunnels. A few lose their footing while climbing down wall-ivy trestles. Steve, Stu, Chris, Peggy, and the pickpocket are among those shot (Chris and Peggy survive). Mike escapes from police custody during the riot and is reunited with Peggy and their children once the stadium empties of people. Ultimately, the sniper is killed by Peter, Chris, and other members of the SWAT team.
Searching through his wallet, the officers learn the sniper's name: Carl Cook. Cook dies, revealing nothing about his intent. Button points out that although they know nothing about Cook, over the next few weeks, the media will discover every irrelevant detail about Cook's life and question why the officers had to kill him.
Cast
- Charlton HestonCharlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
as Capt. Peter Holly - John CassavetesJohn CassavetesJohn Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
as Sgt. Chris Button - Martin BalsamMartin BalsamMartin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
as Sam McKeever - Beau BridgesBeau BridgesLloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
as Mike Ramsay - Marilyn HassettMarilyn HassettMarilyn Hassett is an American screen and television actress.-Biography:Hassett is best known for her portrayal of Jill Kinmont is the film The Other Side of the Mountain , which was directed by Larry Peerce, who chose her for the lead from several hundred hopefuls...
as Lucy - David JanssenDavid JanssenDavid Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
as Steve - Jack KlugmanJack KlugmanJacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
as Stu Sandman - Gena RowlandsGena RowlandsGena Rowlands is an American actress of film, stage and television. The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner is best known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, in two of which, Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence, she gave Academy...
as Janet - Walter PidgeonWalter PidgeonWalter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
as the Pickpocket - Brock PetersBrock PetersBrock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird...
as Paul - David GrohDavid GrohDavid Lawrence Groh was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Joe Gerard in the 1970s television series Rhoda, opposite Valerie Harper.-Early life and career:...
as Al - Mitch Ryan as the Priest (as Mitchell Ryan)
- Joe KappJoe KappJoseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...
as Charlie Tyler - Pamela BellwoodPamela BellwoodPamela Bellwood is an American actress most famous for her role as Claudia Blaisdel Carrington on the 1980s prime time soap opera, Dynasty....
as Peggy Ramsay - Jon KorkesJon KorkesJon Korkes is an Hungarian-born American stage, movie, and television actor.-Life:He was born in Budapest on the 1. January, 1945 as a son of Jetti Korkes. He moved to the States, after the revolution in Hungary, in 1956. First he works for theaters, just later starts to act in movies and television...
as Jeffrey - Allan MillerAllan MillerAllan Miller is an American actor, best known for the role of Harland Richards in Santa Barbara.Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Anna and Benedict Miller....
as Mr. Green - Harry NorthupHarry Northup-Life and career:Northup was born in Amarillo, Texas. He lived in seventeen places by the time he was seventeen, but mostly lived in Sidney, Nebraska, where he graduated from high-school in 1958. From 1958 to 1961, he served in the United States Navy, where he attained the rank of Second Class...
as Lieber - Warren Miller as the Sniper
- William BryantWilliam Bryant (actor)-Career:Born in Los Angeles, California, U.S.., Bryant was a character actor who appeared in films such as King Dinosaur , Escape from San Quentin , Experiment in Terror , with Glenn Ford, How to Murder Your Wife and The Great Race with Jack Lemmon, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? , McQ ,...
as Lt. Calloway - J.A. PrestonJ.A. PrestonJ. A. Preston is an African American actor of both film and television. He was most active from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.-Filmography:* Body Heat* Real Life* Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins...
as Policeman - Robert GintyRobert GintyRobert Ginty was an American movie actor, producer, scenarist, and director of movies and TV series episodes.-Early life:...
as Vendor - Tom BowerTom Bower (actor)Tom Bower is an American actor who has appeared in a wide variety of television and film roles from 1973 to present. He played physician-husband Curt on The Waltons. He has held a number of prominent supporting roles including Dan Miller in the 2000 film Pollock and the gas station attendant in...
as The S.W.A.T. Team - Decker - Carmen ArgenzianoCarmen ArgenzianoCarmen Antimo Argenziano is an American actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes....
as The S.W.A.T. Team - Jennings - Larry ManettiLarry ManettiLarry Manetti is an American actor best known for his starring role as Orville "Rick" Wright on the long-running CBS television series Magnum P.I. which starred Tom Selleck as the title character. He also starred as Maj. Pappy Boyington's pilot partner, Lt. Bobby Boyle, in Baa Baa Black Sheep...
as The S.W.A.T. Team - Pratt - Joanna PettetJoanna PettetJoanna Pettet is a British actress.-Biography:Her parents, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in World War II, and mother, Cecily J. Tremaine, were married in London in 1940...
(TV version only) (uncredited) - Branscombe RichmondBranscombe RichmondBranscombe Richmond is an American character actor and stuntman. He is sometimes credited in films as Richmond Branscombe, Ranscombe Richmon, Ranhome Quickman or Branscom Richmond....
as Bystander with Blood on His Hands (uncredited)
Production
When released in 1976, Two-Minute Warning was promoted as an entry into the disaster filmDisaster film
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject...
genre, complete with an all-star cast attempting to survive an immense riot created by the sniper. Joe Kapp
Joe Kapp
Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...
, a former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
(and Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
), plays a small role as veteran quarterback Charlie Tyler.
The majority of the movie was filmed following the 1975
1975 in sports
1975 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
football season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
. The game footage for the full stadium shots of the L.A. Coliseum was from the Pac-8 college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game between Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
(4-3-1) and USC (7-1), played on November 8, 1975. Stanford pulled off an upset and won 13-10. The game program used in the production was from the UCLA vs. USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
game, with an additional new cover.
Release
Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
devised a gimmick where moviegoers were not allowed to enter the theater at the moment the football game's two-minute warning began in the film.
Television version
Due to the film's explicit violence and uncomfortable detail of a homicidal sniper acting alone, NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
negotiated with film's company Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
to film additional scenes for its television premiere in 1978. The new scenes would detail an art heist, with the sniper serving as a decoy so robbers could escape without detection. The additional scenes, 30 minutes total in length, were added for the film's TV showing while 45 minutes of the original version were removed. Director Larry Pierce disowned the TV version, which credits the pseudonymous "Gene Palmer" as director and Francesca Turner (who also helped doctor David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's Dune
Dune (film)
Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles. It was filmed at the Churubusco...
for TV) for the "teleplay". When shown on network television, this version of Two-Minute Warning is often shown rather than the original theatrical release. The television version was not included when the film was released to video and DVD.
Critical reception
Roger Ebert gave the film a negative review, writing, "I knew going in what the movie was about (few films have such blunt premises) and I knew Two-Minute Warning was supposed to be a thriller, not a social statement. But I thought perhaps the movie would at least include a little pop sociology to soften its blood-letting. Not a chance. It's a cheerfully unashamed exploitation of two of our great national preoccupations, pro football and guns."External links
- Two-Minute Warning trailer at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...