Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
In a flooded future London, Detective Harley Stone hunts a serial killer who murdered his partner and has haunted him ever since — but he soon discovers what he is hunting might not be human.
Split Second is a mid-tier genre mashup that blends neo-noir cyberpunk aesthetics with creature-horror in a flooded future London. The plot is functional but thin — a brooding detective hunting a mysterious killer is well-worn territory, and the script leans heavily on genre clichés without enough substance to compensate. The acting is uneven; Rutger Hauer brings his trademark intensity but the supporting cast is largely forgettable. Cinematography earns a modest bump for its atmospheric, rain-slicked visuals and moody production design that captures a convincingly grimy dystopian London on a limited budget. Novelty gets credit for its genuinely eclectic genre cocktail — part Blade Runner, part creature feature, part buddy-cop thriller — which gives it a distinctive cult flavor even if the individual elements aren't original. The ending is underwhelming, resolving the creature mystery with a rushed and unsatisfying payoff that fails to capitalize on the tension built earlier.