Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Seconds

Play trailer Poster for Seconds R Released Oct 5, 1966 1h 46m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Banker Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) gets a call one day from a friend he thought was dead. It turns out that the friend is not a ghost, but was simply faking all along, and was placed into a new existence by a company who can give you a completely new face and life. Hamilton decides to undergo the procedure himself and becomes Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson), an artist who lives in Malibu. He is given a manservant to help him adjust but soon finds that adjusting will be the least of his worries.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Seconds

Seconds

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Featuring dazzling, disorienting cinematography from the great James Wong Howe and a strong lead performance by Rock Hudson, Seconds is a compellingly paranoid take on the legend of Faust.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (61)
Wael Khairy RogerEbert.com John Frankenheimer’s “Seconds” will linger a lot longer than the title suggests in the mind of anyone who chooses to watch it. In fact, it might be one of the most haunting American films to come out of the 1960s, or any decade for that matter. Sep 23, 2022 Full Review Myles Standish St. Louis Post-Dispatch It is a brilliant, fascinating, weird and horrifying piece of work which probably will emerge as one of the best films of the year. Sep 23, 2021 Full Review Louis Cook Detroit Free Press It's a little difficult to figure Rock Hudson in a chiller but he shows an unexpected professional acting quality in Seconds. Sep 23, 2021 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand [Rock] Hudson, an icon of good, clean romantic fun and stolid heroism, becomes the American hero unable to fathom this would-be paradise with shadowy edges and an unstable foundation. Jul 9, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Perhaps the director's most personal film, Seconds holds a deeply human message and marvelous cautionary tale, ever hopeful to viewers who heed its warning. Rated: 4/4 Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Dick Banks Charlotte Observer Seconds is an exceptionally original shocker, nicely balanced between plausibility and cruel fantasy. Sep 23, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (282)
Blu B All Time Classic. The cinematography is just surreal and bizarre in the most perfect way. It amplifies rather than distracts from the surreal story and world this takes place in. It's grounded Sci-Fi mixed with a psychological thriller and horror of a very sophisticated caliber along the lines of something like Persona and Repulsion right from around this time too. Everything here is masterful. Hats off to the Hudson and the old Mr. Hamilton as I truly believed they were the same person. The direction is masterful, the music is haunting/memorable, and the commentary is powerful. What matters in life isn't wealth, power, or position. But rather the people we love and make life worth living and shame on us for letting a good thing go to waste. This keeps things JUST vague enough about the company, just giving JUST enough about Hamilton's past, and it creates a very surreal almost dreamlike world. It is a very slow burn and there really isn't any action to speak of or crazy Sci-Fi tech in this. But everyone should give this a try. Easily Hudson's best film as well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review Oscar M La historia sin duda te intriga y te hace reflexionar sobre la vida. Seria una de mis favoritas si hubiera sido grabada a color, especialmente por la escena de liberación espiritual que le resta un poco de impacto precisamente por la falta de color Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/28/25 Full Review Thor S A middle aged white man of wealth and privilege throws everything away on a passing whim. He gets very drunk and says things that he regrets at a party, and then a silly company, who's finances are unfathomable, use him as a corpse. Perhaps this film was shocking to the folks of yester year but it's lost its luster. Maybe it just a needs nice nip and tuck with a remake. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/29/24 Full Review Andy F An incredible disturbing tour de force. This must have been so influential to The Prisoner and The Wicker Man to name just two. A shame it is not more well known. Absolutely unforgettable. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This one had some interesting thoughts, but on the whole it was a little silly. The cinematography was what made it noteworthy. I don't plan to see it again. It was on Tubi and Amazon. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Shioka O I think this is a good cult film. Surreal and stylish from the opening credits. Context is still relevant now. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/19/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Seconds

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
The Dead Zone 89% 77% The Dead Zone Watchlist Blade Runner 89% 91% Blade Runner Watchlist TRAILER for Blade Runner Marathon Man 82% 81% Marathon Man Watchlist Black Sunday 75% 65% Black Sunday Watchlist 12 Monkeys 88% 88% 12 Monkeys Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Banker Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) gets a call one day from a friend he thought was dead. It turns out that the friend is not a ghost, but was simply faking all along, and was placed into a new existence by a company who can give you a completely new face and life. Hamilton decides to undergo the procedure himself and becomes Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson), an artist who lives in Malibu. He is given a manservant to help him adjust but soon finds that adjusting will be the least of his worries.
Director
John Frankenheimer
Producer
John Frankenheimer, Edward Lewis
Screenwriter
Lewis John Carlino
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Joel Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 5, 1966, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2017
Runtime
1h 46m
Most Popular at Home Now