Five Minutes to Live

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Five Minutes to Live

Released Dec 7, 1961

1h 20m

Mystery & Thriller

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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.

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

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Michael Barrett

PopMatters

...a twist so fantastically unlikely and macabre that it transcends reason...

Sep 20, 2024

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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

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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

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Phil Hall

Film Threat

Crummy B-Movie, notable only for Johnny Cash's unusual screen acting debut.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 20, 2007

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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

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Logan M

A surprisingly suspenseful and interesting crime b-movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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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

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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

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Audience Member

Awkward, cheap, and tone-deaf, but not without high aspirations.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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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

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Bill Karn

Director

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cabot

Donald Woods

Ken Wilson

Cay Forester

Nancy Wilson

Pamela Mason

Ellen Harcourt

Midge Ware

Doris Johnson

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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