By Dawn's Early Light

"Four people... Three minutes... Two choices... One chance for survival."

1990 1h 41m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 72

TV MovieActionDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A nuclear warhead launched by Soviet insurgents protesting the waning Cold War destroys the Ukrainian city of Donetsk. The destruction sets off a race between American and Soviet politicians to prevent a nuclear holocaust. While the U.S. president feverishly works to keep the military and political machine from going into overdrive, various subordinates panic. When the president is believed to be killed in a helicopter crash, zealous advisers take over.

“Four people... Three minutes... Two choices... One chance for survival.”

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Cast

Powers Boothe
Cassidy
Rebecca De Mornay
Moreau
James Earl Jones
Alice
Martin Landau
President
Darren McGavin
Condor
Rip Torn
Colonel Fargo
Jeffrey DeMunn
Harpoon
Peter MacNicol
Sedgwick

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jack Sholder
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Jack Sholder, shot by Alexander Gruszynski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tony Lombardo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Powers Boothe and Rebecca De Mornay and James Earl Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Four people... Three minutes... Two choices... One chance for survival.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0099197 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jack Sholder directs. Alexander Gruszynski behind the camera. Trevor Jones scores. Tony Lombardo cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Jack Sholder, shot by Alexander Gruszynski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Tony Lombardo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Powers Boothe and Rebecca De Mornay and James Earl Jones carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Four people... Three minutes... Two choices... One chance for survival.".
7IMDB entry: tt0099197 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.