TICKING CLOCK is a shabby straight to video serial killer thriller in which a slumming-it Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a reporter investigating the journal of a crazed killer, played with customary relish by Neal McDonough. As the story gets more complex and Gooding Jr. befriends a twisted young boy who has an unusual link to the crimes, things take on a sci-fi twist that reminded me a little of the ones in FREQUENCY or DEJA VU. Sadly, this is a criminally low budget production, shot in a shabby and gloomy style, that merely comes across as depressing and bereft of ideas.

The movie starts off with a killing of a woman that takes place 12 years ago. An infant is told by the killer that his mother will never harm him again, although the kid seemed fine. 12 years later another murder occurs of a woman who is an assistant DA. She is also the gf of Cuba Goodling (Lewis Hicks) an investigative crime journalist who is separated from his wife (6 months) and he likes his liquor.

Lewis comes into the home of his gf in time to see the killer. He tracks the killer down and fights with him. (He does this several times in the movie and the killer tosses him around like a rag doll.) The killer drops a book with dossiers on everyone who he plans to kill, how he will do it, and the date he will do it. Lewis copies down the names, fails to turn the book over to the police, and then the killer comes and gets the book back.

The killer seems to vanish into thin air at times. Lewis turns and he is gone. He has the DNA and fingerprint of the killer too. Since he knows who is going to get killed next, he shows up just in time to be the prime suspect- no surprise there.

The movie does have a twist that didn't seem to fit well into the genre of the film. You should have it all figured out by the zoo scene except for whatever they plan to do to end it. The dialogue was weak and not entertaining. The 12 year old boy was perhaps the most interesting character and he didn't say much.

It is not Silence of the Lambs light. No sex. No nudity. Occasional f-bomb. The movie shows people cut up and dissected, but not the dissection itself, a sophisticated slasher movie.

(Credit IMDb) Lewis Hicks (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a reporter and journalist specializing in writing about the crime of murder. Instead of writing his next story, Lewis becomes the story when his new girlfriend is sadistically murdered, and he is the only suspect. Lewis investigates the murder himself and finds the killer's journal with his past victims and a death list of his future prey. Lewis believes that he is the only person who can stop the killer before time runs out for his next victim.

Ticking Clock is certainly one of the better DTV films starring Cuba. Wouldn't exactly call the premise original, but it does manage to avoid a lot of clichés and add its own spin on things. Neil McDonough provides a good antagonist to Cuba, and I loved the end showdown they had. Cuba actually looks motivated. When he is not motivated his DTV films usually suffer because of it. I'm not saying this is anything groundbreaking but for a DTV film it's very decent, and considering the depths Cuba has fallen? That is a big compliment. Cuba Gooding Jr. His performance is astute, and amiably well done. He makes for a formidable protagonist for McDonough, and doesn't succumb to moments of over-acting like he does at times in a lot of his DTV efforts. Neil McDonough plays a very good villain. Suitably twisted, and interesting to watch, he certainly did what was required pretty well.

Bottom line. Not perfect but it has some neat ideas and most of them were executed nicely. Good performances, intriguing story. What is not to like? Worth a watch

6 ½ 10