A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die
Director: Franco Giraldi
Actors: Alex Cord, Arthur Kennedy, Robert Ryan
PlotClay McCord is an infamous outlaw suffering from a neurological condition that causes debilitating seizures. On the run from the law, he yearns for one last shot at an honest life. When news reaches him of an amnesty offer for criminals prepared to relinquish their guns and reform their ways, McCord sees a glimmer of hope to start anew. However, his reputation and ongoing troubles shadow his every move. He decides to head into the New Mexico town of Tuscosa, seeking both a cure for his ailment and the chance for a pardon. The town is a powder keg of tension and suspicion, with wary townsfolk and lawmen ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble.
Torn between his violent past and desperate future, McCord’s journey unfolds against a backdrop of escalating pressure and peril. He faces internal conflict, as every decision could be his last. As he struggles with his condition and questions of trust and redemption, town marshal Roy W. Colby takes an interest in McCord's case. Colby believes in the prospect of rehabilitation but must contend with political pressures and a town that may not easily forgive. Meanwhile, bounty hunters and rival outlaws close in on McCord, threatening his chance for peace. In this tightrope walk of moral ambiguity, stakes rise until tensions boil over, testing who McCord can trust and if redemption is truly within reach.
Writers: Louis Garfinkle, Ugo Liberatore, Albert Band
Release Date: 01 May 1968
Runtime: 118 min
Rating: R
Country: Italy, United States
Language: English, Italian
Home Video Reviews
A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die offers a fine noirish atmosphere with solid style; the Blu-ray presents a good 4K master but could have been optimized better.
Read our review of A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die Blu-ray to find out more