Looking for movies that take place in a day (or a few days)

October 26, 2009 4:30 AM

I'm looking for more movies that take place in a very short time-span..like a few days or even a single day.

Real-time movies are welcome too..and I'm open to all genres. I'm not really interested in flash-back movies where a character remembers back to their past, but the person himself stays put in a single day (like Saving Private Ryan)

Examples of movies I'm after: Training Day, Collateral, Before Sunset (and the prequel too), Der Untergang (kind of), Dr. Strangelove

posted by kampken to media & arts (61 comments total)

There's a 1967 film adaptation of Ulysses.
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:37 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

After Hours takes place in a single night.
posted by Ouisch at 4:38 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

Phonebooth!
posted by GilloD at 4:38 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

After Hours and Nick of Time are the first movies to pop into my head.
posted by otters walk among us at 4:39 AM on October 26

Here's a similar question from a while back, and one specific comment with the relevant tags to use on IMDB to find these kinds of films.
posted by burnmp3s at 4:40 AM on October 26

It's kinda the whole point of Groundhog Day.
posted by Bardolph at 4:47 AM on October 26

Three O'Clock High -- still one of my favorite 80's movies.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 4:50 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

25th Hour. Awesome, awesome film.
posted by sully75 at 4:51 AM on October 26

Tape
posted by fire&wings at 4:52 AM on October 26

Timecode
Nick of Time
posted by permafrost at 4:53 AM on October 26

Inside Man - thoroughly enjoyable!
posted by SRMorris at 4:54 AM on October 26

timecode was pretty nifty
posted by jannw at 4:55 AM on October 26

Run Lola Run.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 5:02 AM on October 26

Run Lola Run takes place in the span of about 20 minutes, three times over.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:03 AM on October 26 [3 favorites]

Eddie Murphy's 48 Hrs./Another 48 Hrs.
posted by fings at 5:11 AM on October 26

Night On Earth
posted by orme at 5:13 AM on October 26

Go seems to come pretty close to one day (from different perspectives).
posted by sperose at 5:14 AM on October 26

Offret by Andrei Tarkovsky
posted by Substrata at 5:14 AM on October 26

Magnolia

Night on Earth

Mystery Train
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:15 AM on October 26

My Dinner with Andre
Clue
Clerks
Last Night
Rope
Nine Lives
The Poseidon Adventure
16 Blocks
Cloverfield
Crank
Russian Ark
Sorry, Wrong Number
It's My Party (2 days)
Trick
posted by xingcat at 5:26 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

Clerks, Clerks II, and Mallrats
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:27 AM on October 26 [2 favorites]

Elephant.
posted by quodlibet at 5:35 AM on October 26

Miracle Mile. Takes place over the course of a bit less than one day and is a forgotten, odd, and terrific '80s movie.
posted by dirtdirt at 5:40 AM on October 26

All the Die Hard movies.
Most plane hijack movies (Executive Decision, Air Force One etc.)
Vantage Point
The Hunt For Red October
Rambo

In fact, the list of action films which meet the criterion must be huge...
posted by jonnyploy at 5:44 AM on October 26

Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
posted by jonnyploy at 5:45 AM on October 26 [3 favorites]

The Man from Earth takes place over a couple hours. As a bonus, it also takes place (almost) entirely within a single room.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 5:53 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

It's unclear exactly when Butch's fight takes place relative to the rest of the movie, but certainly most of Pulp Fiction takes place in a single day. Even then, the events of The Gold Watch segment take place in less than a single 24-hour period.

Reservoir Dogs also takes place in a single day. There's a lot of flashback, although I don't think that rises to the level of your disqualification.

Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club are also one-day affairs.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:59 AM on October 26

Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day
posted by belladonna at 6:01 AM on October 26

In addition to the already mentioned Run, Lola, Run and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, here are some of my favorites of the breed:

The Breakfast Club
Empire Records
Falling Down
The Warriors
High Noon
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:03 AM on October 26

Excellent, thanks a bunch people :)
I've seen most of the films mentioned but there are a few ones I've never heard of..so that's great.
posted by kampken at 6:14 AM on October 26

12 Angry Men
posted by Thorzdad at 6:20 AM on October 26 [2 favorites]

Lost in Translation takes place over a few days and plays on the tension of Scarlett and Bill's limited time together in an alien environment (a hotel in Japan). I could eat that movie.

On a completely unrelated note, how do you feel about time travel?
posted by SebastianKnight at 6:34 AM on October 26

Slacker
Roman Holiday
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:37 AM on October 26

Robert Altman's A Wedding
posted by Joe Beese at 6:37 AM on October 26

And, good enought to justify cheating a bit: Vanya on 42nd Street
posted by Joe Beese at 6:40 AM on October 26

Before Sunrise and the sequel, Before Sunset
posted by Pater Aletheias at 6:42 AM on October 26

Memento takes place (backward) over a couple of days, and most of the 'flashbacks' (flash-forwards?) are within those days.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 6:46 AM on October 26

The Wizard of Oz?
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:50 AM on October 26

Can't Hardly Wait, among my favorite of the late-'90s teen comedies, takes place over the course of a single party.
posted by General Malaise at 6:53 AM on October 26 [1 favorite]

Rope jumps immediately to mind. It's been a while since I watched it, but I think Glengarry Glen Ross takes place in only a day or two.
posted by usonian at 6:55 AM on October 26

One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
posted by 543DoublePlay at 7:28 AM on October 26

Ron Howard's The Paper takes place during one day.
posted by PFL at 7:32 AM on October 26

The Winter Guest.
posted by gudrun at 7:39 AM on October 26

Dazed and Confused
Sweethearts
not film but TV: every single season of 24
200 Cigarettes (more or less)
Killing Zoe (2 days)
I think From Dusk Till Dawn qualifies unless there's some several days worth of exposition or epilogue that I've forgotten
I'm pretty sure Sin City takes place within the space of about 48 hours, but it's been awhile...
Short Cuts I think as well
Hostel takes place over about 4 days, and I think the sequel does as well
Jackie Brown takes more than 2 days, but I'm pretty sure it's less than 5.
Hard Candy is within 48 hours, unless I'm forgetting some exposition/epilogue
All the Saw films, if memory serves, serve up the main story in well under 24 hours although there's a fair bit of flashback moments
I'm pretty sure I Shot A Man in Vegas is under 48 hours, but I haven't seen it just yet.
Lastly, The Player has the main story in around 48 hours with a 'one year later' epilogue tacked on at the end.
posted by K.P. at 7:53 AM on October 26

Most of the ones that immediately come to mind have been mentioned but Battle Royale takes place over three days in the sake location.
posted by minifigs at 8:09 AM on October 26

Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Wet Hot American Summer.
posted by Andy Harwood at 9:28 AM on October 26

Vanishing Point - There is an odd flashback, but the vast majority of the film is about the protagonist driving a Dodge Charger(like a maniac!) from Denver to San Francisco in 24-36 hours.

One of my favs
posted by TheOtherGuy at 9:36 AM on October 26

The Bicycle Thief (1948) takes place over two days and is considered to be a masterpiece of Italian neorealism.
posted by upplepop at 9:56 AM on October 26

Oh yeah, also, most of Zulu takes place in a short span of time.
posted by gudrun at 9:58 AM on October 26

DOA (Dead On Arrival) takes place over 48 hours.
posted by goodnight moon at 10:02 AM on October 26

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
posted by Pantengliopoli at 10:40 AM on October 26

It's been thirty years since I've seen it, but I think Skatetown USA takes place in a single day . . .
posted by mokuba at 10:57 AM on October 26

American Graffiti
posted by 543DoublePlay at 11:24 AM on October 26

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
posted by bondcliff at 12:11 PM on October 26

Judgement Night takes place in less than 24 hours (iirc).

Quick Change is less than one day.
posted by Gorgik at 12:27 PM on October 26

2 Days in the Valley
The Spanish Prisoner (a few days, perhaps a week at most)
Many Hitchcock thrillers
Certain of the James Bond movies with explicit deadlines, e.g. Thunderball
Most of Love, Actually takes place in a few days around Christmas
posted by dhartung at 4:04 PM on October 26

[SPOILER]
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
posted by kirkaracha at 4:35 PM on October 26

Before Sunrise

and Before Sunset

Actually, if you youtube Before Sunrise the entire movie seems to be uploaded.
posted by [vagabond] at 5:37 PM on October 26

Panic Room
posted by chazlarson at 5:55 PM on October 26

Aside from some brief backstory at the beginning, District B13 takes place in 24 hours.

Luc Besson's 1985 movie Subway takes place over the course of one night.
posted by Lexica at 7:23 PM on October 26

The Hangover
posted by chalbe at 8:12 AM on October 27