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Review

Mike Figgis' film is an experimental film structure that takes some getting used to, but tells a unique story of the film business and realtionships in crises. Time Code uses a four part split screen with four different scenes going simultaneously showing different aspects of the same story. The actors were supplied a scenario and all the dialogue was improvised. Unlike Mike Leigh and John Cassavetes there was apparently no script.

The sexy Salma Hayak is an actress who plays Jeanne Tripplehorn's lover (we never learn what Jeanne does except get driven all day in a big limo). Jeanne is very jealous and plants a microphone is her girlfriend's bag and learn's that she is sleeping with Stellan Skarsgård whose wife leaves him for his infidelities. All this craziness is happening at the offices of a film production company, Red Mullett Productions. Nearly everyone is snorting coke or drinking and trying to make business decisions during this morning of crises. The view is not only of relationships in crises, it's also a tale of substance abuse and the back door of the film business. Once you get used to the split screens, the acting and the tale are quite compelling. Also of note is a terrific score by Figgis (who also scored his masterpiece, Leaving Las Vegas) .