From Nine to Nine: A frantic, messy night on the run

Is this worth a watch?

If you like movies that feel like a nervous breakdown in a dark alley, yes. If you need clean plots and characters who act like real human beings, you’re going to be annoyed by the first fifteen minutes. It’s for the folks who like their cinema a little bit grimy and broken. 🕰️

The whole thing is basically one long, sweaty night. Our guy is running around trying to fix a mistake he didn't even make. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Leavenworth Case, but with more shouting.

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it’s too fast to follow, then suddenly it stops dead for a conversation that feels like it’s happening in slow motion. I think the actors were just as confused as I was about where the camera was.

The little details that stuck

• The way the shadows look on the walls—really sharp, like they were trying to hide the fact that the set was just a couple of plywood boards.
• George Temple’s coat. I swear he’s wearing that same coat in every single shot, looking more miserable every time.
• The sound of footsteps on the pavement. It’s so loud. Like, comically loud. It makes you wonder if everyone is walking on gravel in the middle of a library.

There’s a scene about halfway through where someone tries to break into a room. It takes forever. The door handle jiggles and jiggles. You can almost hear the director yelling, "Keep jiggling it! We need more tension!" It wasn't tense. It was just funny. 🚪

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. It’s definitely not as refined as A Fool There Was. But there’s a pulse to it. It’s got that weird, jerky rhythm that happens when a movie is made on a shoestring budget and a lot of caffeine.

The ending? Don't get me started. It just sort of... stops. Like someone pulled the plug on the projector. I checked my watch thinking I missed something, but nope. That’s just the movie saying "goodnight" in the rudest way possible.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it a fun way to kill an hour if you’re bored and like old, scratchy film stock? Sure. Just don't look too hard at the continuity, or you'll get a headache. 🎞️