When Time Ran Out... Backdrop Blur
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When Time Ran Out...

"Caught in a game of power. Playing time: 24 hours. Prizes: Untold wealth. Rules: None."

An active volcano threatens a south Pacific island resort and its guests as a power struggle ensues between the property's developer and a drilling foreman.

Top Cast

  • Paul Newman

    Paul Newman

    Hank Anderson

  • Jacqueline Bisset

    Jacqueline Bisset

    Kay Kirby

  • William Holden

    William Holden

    Shelby Gilmore

  • James Franciscus

    James Franciscus

    Bob Spangler

  • Ernest Borgnine

    Ernest Borgnine

    Det. Sgt. Tom Conti

  • Edward Albert

    Edward Albert

    Brian

  • Red Buttons

    Red Buttons

    Francis Fendly

  • Barbara Carrera

    Barbara Carrera

    Iolani

  • Valentina Cortese

    Valentina Cortese

    Rose Valdez

Overview

An active volcano threatens a south Pacific island resort and its guests as a power struggle ensues between the property's developer and a drilling foreman.

Rating

5.4 / 10
82 Reviews
1 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    6 Aug 16, 2025

    When the venal “Spangler” (James Franciscus) teams up with millionaire “Shelby” (William Holden) to build a luxury resort on a island, he also sees an opportunity to engage oil prospector “Hank” (Paul Newman) to see if he can also guild their lily with a gusher or two. Believe it or not, they strike it lucky - but this experienced driller is concerned that the pressure readings are off the scale and that an adjacent volcano might soon be about to make it’s presence felt. To add the fourth wheel to the shopping trolley of a film, we have “Kay” (Jacqueline Bisset) who has previously had a relationship with “Hank” that is barely less smouldering that the would-be Mount Etna on their tropical island. Now Irwin Allen did produce some of the most memorable disaster movies, but here he seems to have decided to assemble an admittedly decent A-list cast and then just throw the story under the lava. Indeed, in many ways this just reminded me of “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) with Burgess Meredith, Eddie Albert, a frankly dreadful effort from Red Buttons and Valentina Cortese doing her best impersonation of Shelley Winters from that maritime adventure - all looking for some sort of holiday in the sun with a payday at the end. Some of the volcanic visuals are quite impressive, and there is one scene where Meredith and Newman do manage to create just an hint of suspense, but otherwise despite it’s enormous heat it is all completely undercooked. This genre had served it’s purpose by now and this one just hastened it’s cremation.

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