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Five Minutes to Live

Released Dec 7, 1961 1h 20m Mystery & Thriller List
Tomatometer 5 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
As his partner in crime, Fred Dorella (Vic Tayback), heads to the bank and tries to extort cash from executive Ken Wilson (Donald Woods), Johnny Cabot (Johnny Cash) kidnaps Wilson's wife, Nancy (Cay Forester). Fred tells Ken that, unless he hands over $70,000 in cash, Johnny will kill Nancy. Ken comes up with a ploy to buy some time for the police to assess the situation. Though the scheme is coming unstuck, Fred and Johnny aren't about to go quietly.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Budd Wilkins Slant Magazine Bill Karn’s Door-to-Door Maniac is a fever dream of a heist film that features a ferocious turn from country music icon Johnny Cash. Aug 28, 2024 Full Review Michael Barrett PopMatters ...a twist so fantastically unlikely and macabre that it transcends reason... Sep 20, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Cash’s performance runs hot-and-cold, and the film itself is mostly a non-starter. Rated: 2/4 Sep 2, 2024 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It was incredible fun seeing a crazed Cash threatening to kill his hostage suburban housewife. Rated: B Sep 12, 2010 Full Review Phil Hall Film Threat Crummy B-Movie, notable only for Johnny Cash's unusual screen acting debut. Rated: 2/5 Jul 20, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (18) audience reviews
nick s Good effort creating interesting characters, with some amusing moments. Just lacking a bit of polish in terms of pacing and story line. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/14/23 Full Review Logan M A surprisingly suspenseful and interesting crime b-movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review william k Tough low-budget crime drama with wooden dialogue and lots of subpar acting does surprise with the audacity of casting Johnny Cash as a psychopathic killer, his overheated, amateur performance included. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It's much more enjoyable than it should have been. From the script quirkiness sprinkled with humour to the middle part of a "sopa-opera gone bad" to Johnny Cash being a whole lot of Johnny Cash during the movie, it's almost impossible that you don't skip the technical deficiencies and go straight to a really fun 1h15m low-budget ride. Better watched withing a group of friends. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Awkward, cheap, and tone-deaf, but not without high aspirations. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A "Leave It To Beaver" Episode Guest Starring Johnny Cash Being A Deep-Voice, Cynical Hit-Man. The Old-Print, With All It's Marks, Soundtrack Clicks & Scratches Was More Interesting To Watch Than The On-Screen Drama. If It Wasn't For Mr Cash Is Doubt Many Ppl, Like Myself Would Have Even Given It A Go.. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Five Minutes to Live

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis As his partner in crime, Fred Dorella (Vic Tayback), heads to the bank and tries to extort cash from executive Ken Wilson (Donald Woods), Johnny Cabot (Johnny Cash) kidnaps Wilson's wife, Nancy (Cay Forester). Fred tells Ken that, unless he hands over $70,000 in cash, Johnny will kill Nancy. Ken comes up with a ploy to buy some time for the police to assess the situation. Though the scheme is coming unstuck, Fred and Johnny aren't about to go quietly.
Director
Bill Karn
Producer
James Ellsworth
Screenwriter
Cay Forester
Production Co
Flower Films
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 7, 1961, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 9, 2016
Runtime
1h 20m