Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

JohnHowardReid Generally speaking, British "B" films are far outshone by their Hollywood counterparts. But this one, produced by Peter Rogers and directed (of course) by Gerald Thomas, was based on a reasonably exciting TV script by Arthur "Airport" Hailey. It was screenplayed by Rogers himself and rates with me as one of his best. In addition to his admirably taut script, Rogers has assembled a first-rate cast led by Robert Beatty, Betty McDowall, Vincent Winter, and of course, Lee Patterson. The large variety of camera set-ups and well edited inserts divert one's attention from the cramped, hole-in-the-wall set and other limited production values. There has to be a worthwhile quota quickie in there somewhere, and Time Lock is it!

andrew-1192 Just about everyone imaginable plays a part in this film - bank manager, accountant, doctor, anaesthetist, police inspector, police (x several), ambulance crew, bank vault specialist, welders, big guys wielding hammers, jack hammer operatives, even a helicopter pilot gets 15 seconds of fame! I guess the one 'professional' I expected to see but who didn't make an appearance was a safe-cracker. For some reason I was expecting that as the film drew to a close a guy would roll up wearing a black band eye patch and horizontally hooped shirt, carrying a bag marked 'swag', and he'd save the kids life by breaking into the uncrackable safe. But, I was slightly disappointed that this character didn't appear to save the day. A bit of a pity in that respect.I enjoyed the film nonetheless. This is a low budget movie, but these can often be better than the multi-gazillion dollar blockbuster because everything about the film is created by professionals doing their job, rather than some whizz-bang computer program producing special effects. Most of the role players in this film didn't go on to become household names, so good for them that they got their chance for 15 seconds to put their mark on a piece of cinema history.

bob the moo Six year old Steven Walker is in the bank with his father near closing time he is in a playful mood and slips into the vault unseen just as it is shut. The problem is that for security reasons the vault is on a time lock and has been set to remain closed until after the weekend. With no more than half a day's air in the vault the race is on to try and get the boy out. The local vault expert is out of town for the weekend but, with no guarantee that he can be found in time, the parents are frantic to get him out.The plot was more than enough to hook me into it because it sounded like one of those setups that will be tight and tense, set in a single location and, given the race against time, effortlessly engaging. Although there were no guarantees for this, I was surprised by just how flat the whole thing was and how much it failed to grip me. In terms of actions and narrative flow things are fine; the story follows a solid path that makes sense and isn't contrived or forced for the sake of falsely producing tension. However it is the delivery where it takes this and does nothing of interest with it. The main problem is with the script; where it is shouting urgently then things are fine but it regularly has horridly flat scenes of dialogue while the cutting etc is going on and none of them really work. Of course it doesn't help that the performances mostly put me in mind of my last time I was in a forest. Thomas does manage to produce some tension when the action is the focus but he totally undercuts this by his flaccid inability to bring out this tension in his characters and his actors – after all, if they don't seem bothered by the whole thing, why should I the viewer be?As another review has stated the worst performance is mercifully the shortest – that of the boy Winter. Christ but he could not be less convincing, natural or sympathetic. It is rare for me to be shocked by the ineptitude of a performance but Winter achieved that with very few lines. I know he was a child but are you telling me he was the best child available to the casting director? Of the rest of the cast only Beatty stands out and that is mostly because his dialogue consists of being in charge and tough. Conversely all those blessed with flat lines give bland performances; the list is long but includes Patterson, Mannering, McDowall, Ayres and so on. Connery is only memorable for who he is rather than anything else.Overall a semi-engaging film that sadly has more weakness than strength. The simple premise should have allowed for great tension but the script and delivery let this fall down badly. Deserves a low-budget but intense remake – perhaps not of the detail but certainly using a similar premise.

ShadeGrenade One type of movie we Brits used to do really well was the 'B' movie. In the '50's and '60's, British studios churned out dozens of supporting features, inexpensively produced, often featuring actors of whom no-one had ever heard, and while being far from masterpieces they proved very enjoyable. 'Time Lock' was one such picture. Based on a play by Arthur Hailey ( author of 'Airport' ), it tells the story of a little boy who accidentally gets trapped in a bank vault, and of the numerous attempts to rescue him. Robert Beatty heads the cast, which features a young Sean Connery as one of the would-be rescuers. What's surprising is that the picture was directed by Gerald Thomas, future 'Carry On' director. He brings a Hitchcock-like feel to the story, and one wishes he'd made a few more films in this vein. 'Time Lock' is above average, and worth catching if it comes round on television. The person who likened the film to 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' deserves to be locked in a vault himself. The only thing they have in common is they are both in black and white!