User reviews

I saw this being filmed around 1969/70. Some scenes were filmed at a bar that was made to look like a gas station/store. I was 12 at the time. I would ride my bike down Feather River Blvd to the place they were filming. The fried egg on the pavement I saw. My mom has pictures of her and George Kennedy and Jim Brown on the set during a break in filming. I loved the film...of course I was a bit biased. It took me seeing the film when I was older to understand and appreciate this film. I have seen it several times and it doesn't get old. The actors played their parts well. It does remind someone of the old south and it's difficulties especially with people of color in that part of the country. Of course our town and Colusa could have been mistaken for a town in the south back then.

The plot to "...tick...tick...tick..." might sound familiar. A black man becomes sheriff in a racially divided town and the white folks are NOT happy about this. This sounds a lot like the plot to "Blazing Saddles"...though unlike the Brooks film, it's certainly NOT a comedy and is set in the contemporary South!

Not surprisingly, there is a lot of discontent in the white community with the new sheriff. You also know that sooner or later it's coming to a head...and you wonder if the sheriff will survive.

One day, a drunk guy runs over a kid and kills her. When the sheriff tries to arrest him, the guy is cocky and runs...but is soon caught. The arrestee's father is apparently a rich and powerful man...and soon a lot of pressure comes on the sheriff to just forget about the case...which he can't do. At the same time, he's also getting pressure from the black community to do something...or else.

This film surprised me. Often around this time period, race relations in films about the South were often very dramatic and over the top...such as in "Mandingo" or "Hurry Sundown". This is probably why these films stink! Instead, "...tick...tick...tick..." handles it in a much more realistic and restrained manner...a major plus for the movie. It also didn't portray all white folks or black as either good or bad...and this was a very intelligent choice. In this sense, the film has a lot in common with "In the Heat of the Night".

Overall, this is a very good film and Jim Brown was assisted ably by some excellent supporting actors like George Kennedy, Frederic March, Clifton James, and Bernie Casey. It's intelligently written as well and well worth seeing.

"Tick, Tick, Tick" is a flawed movie. It stumbles more than a handful of times. The songs that constantly pop up are terrible. They're lame '60 style hippie/folk stuff and they are a huge distraction. They're really bad. They ruin ever scene where they show up. However when "Tick, Tick, Tick" is on point, it's an excellent movie. Jim Brown and George Kennedy both deliver the goods in this movie. Their supporting cast is also very good. This movie does take itself a little too seriously but its heart is in the right place so all is forgiven. "Tick, Tick, Tick" really hit the spot last night. I'll be watching this one again real soon. (Dishonorable mention: Kennedy's very fake looking sweat stains.)

Fantastic cast Fantastic acting Fantastic storyline Historically relevant to the changing south Great ending All I can say is anyone who doesn't enjoy this movie is a moron.