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Mr. Smith is the main antagonist of the 1995 thriller film Nick of Time.

He was portrayed by Christopher Walken, who also played Max Zorin in A View to a Kill, Bradford Whitewood Sr. in At Close Range, Frank White in King of New York, Max Shreck in Batman Returns, Vincenzo Coccotti in True Romance, Gabriel in The Prophecy series, Hickey in Last Man Standing, Colonel Cutter in Antz, the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow, Reed Thimple in The Country Bears, Salvatore Maggio in Kangaroo Jack, Cornelius Hatcher in The Rundown, Master Feng in Balls of Fury, King Louie in the 2016 The Jungle Book live-action remake and Shaddam IV in Dune: Part Two.

Biography[]

Smith arrives in the LA gare with his partner Ms. Jones, looking for someone. Jones proposes several arrivants but Smith rejects them all. Frustrated by what he sees an inability of Jones to choose properly, he selects a pair and they go to meet them. However, they are revealed to be French. Dismayed, they quickly spot a father in a business trip Gene Watson with his young daughter Lynn. Choosing him, they pretend to be police officers and ask him for identification. They then take the father and daughter to a van in front of the station. Once on board, they lock the doors.

Smith pulls a gun from a briefcase and tells Watson to pay attention if he wants his daughter alive. Afraid, Watson tries to warn his daughter (unaware of the scene because she is listening loud music), but Smith puts a pistol to his knee. He gives him another one and hands him an envelope supposedly containing a photo of a woman and her itinerary. The woman is at the Bonaventure Hotel, and Watson must leave the van, take a taxi and ride to the hotel. Then with the pistol he will be given, he will have to kill the woman. The hour is 12:16 and if the woman is at 13:30, Jones will murder Lynn. Smith gives his gun to Watson, saying only himself can save his daughter. He comes out of the van and gives Watson some money and cartridges.

The father moves towards the target. On the way, he sees a police officer and tries to warn him, but Smith appears behind the policeman, thwarting the attempt. He reminds Watson that if the woman isn’t dead at 13:30, his daughter will die instead. He warns him that he will watch him all the time and any attempt to talk to a cop will result in the young girl’s death. To make sure he understood, Smith had him repeat: “At 01:30, my little girl is dead.” When the latter caves, Smith sends him complete the assassination attempt.

Watson gets into a cab and tries to report the criminals to the driver, but Smith, driving the van, hits the cab at the same time. When they arrived at their destination, Smith goes out the vehicle, handed over the steering wheel to Jones and took charge of Watson.

Watson opens the envelope and realizes the target is Eleanor Grant, the Governor of California. Smith gives him a forged membership card to Eleanor's party so he can follow her on her journey. Watson asks who he is and Smith answers he is the man who will kill his daughter if he fails.

Grant appears in a hall. Watson manages to join her in an elevator. As he tries to call for help again, the door opens to the floor above and Mr. Smith appears. Watson manages to get out by mentioning that his daughter wants an autograph. The governor gives it to him on the envelope. The next floor, she and her team exit the elevator and once they are alone, Smith violently assaults the poor father, blaming him for missing such a great opportunity. Watson says the gun was not loaded, Smith loads it after showing him the van saying that his daughter will take the bullet instead of the Governor if he refuses to cooperate. They get out of the elevator.

Watson goes to a restroom and notices an urgency phone. About to take it, Smith thwarts his plan, entering the restroom and breaking the phone. He then leads Watson out of the bathroom.

However, he sees that Watson is with a shoeshine boy. Observing him, he shows him a walkie-talkie after a while so that he will speed up. Watson finally joins him and Smith informs him a chance will arise in 10 minutes. Grant is going to give a speech on the hotel’s balcony and Smith orders Watson to kill her at this moment. Watson tries to seek help from a security guard, only for him to reveal he is part of the conspiracy. Smith comes and admits Watson is brave and tells him a story about someone he was friend with but that he killed him up because he “f-cked up too many times”. He warns the father he will personally kill his daughter if he doesn’t do the mission.

Watson manages to talk the Governor’s assistant about the conspiracy and both go in the Governor’s suit to warn her. Her husband Brendan Grant is there but turns out to be part of the conspiracy. When Watson shows him a revolver he has although the speech forbids anyone near her to have one, Smith appears and shoots the assistant, coldly saying the gun is real. An enraged Watson attacks Smith but the latter quickly subdues and makes him unconscious by strangling him.

After reanimating him, Smith shows him the assistant's body, saying it's his fault because it never would have happened if he had followed orders. Watson suspects he will break his promise if he succeeds though Smith denies it. They go to the elevator and as they get off, Smith shows her the van and contacts his partner. Watson hears his daughter screaming and it pisses him off. He attacks Smith but is still subdued. The assassin threatens him to rip Lynn’s head off if he fails to comply the killing contract. Lynn’ screams are however revealed to be fakes.

Gene ends up going back to the shoeshine man named Huey. The latter doesn't believe the man's story. Smith wants to talk to Watson privately, but Watson invites him to get his shoes shined with him, assuring him that the shoeshine man is deaf and showing him the poster displaying his deafness as oproof. The assassin is not convinced and tries to speak directly to Huey. The latter pretends not to hear and flinches when Smith touches his shoulder. Convinced, Smith tells Gene about the plot, showing him Grant's route and where the assassination will take place. It will in the ballroom. Watson asks to speak to his daughter. Smith refuses at first, but eventually agrees.

After the shoe polishing, Smith follows Watson who goes in the restroom. Actually, he is helped by Huey and others people and uses a decoy to make Smith believe he is in the toilet. Smith is tricked and when the hour of assassination has come, Watson had time to come back in the toilet. Smith accompanies him to the ballroom and posts himself in the projector room to watch Watson. However, Watson betrays him and shoots Smith instead of the Governor. Smith dodges the shoot and tries to shoot Grant but an assistant puts himself between her and the bullet, taking it instead.

Smith returns to the van to kill Lynn. Watson jumps on him and both fall downstairs. The two fight, Watson takes Smith’s walkie-talkie and throws it away. The assassin manages to handle him and throws him out the floor.

Smith returns to the van, opens the door to find Lynn. He tries to shoot her, and she runs to the trunk. He points his gun but is shot himself by Watson. Impressed, he says he’s glad he finally becomes a killer like him. Watson shoots again and kills him.

Quotes[]

Gallery[]

Mr. Smith's scene before his death.

Mr. Smith appearing in Watson's dream.