Running Against Time

Running Against Time

Year: 1991

Runtime: 92 mins

Language: English

Director: Bruce Seth Green

A college professor discovers a way to travel back to the 1960s, hoping to stop his brother’s death in Vietnam and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Instead, he becomes trapped in a time warp, unable to return to his own era or alter events, forcing him to confront the limits of his mission.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Running Against Time (1991)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Running Against Time (1991). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1963, 1966, present day

Primary events unfold during the 1963 JFK assassination in Dallas. The story also nods to Chris's death in 1966 Vietnam, shaping David's fixation with altering history. A present-day thread shows the consequences of their time-travel actions, including encounters with Koopman and LBJ.

Location

Dallas, Texas, Texas School Book Depository, Parkland Memorial Hospital

Most of the action centers on Dallas, Texas, with the key site being the Dallas School Book Depository on the day of the assassination. Parkland Memorial Hospital also features as the place where the aftermath unfolds. The city serves as the historical stage for the attempted alteration of a defining moment.

🗺️ Dallas 🕰️ JFK assassination ⏳ Time travel

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:51

Main Characters – Running Against Time (1991)

Meet the key characters of Running Against Time (1991), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

David Rhodes (Robert Hays)

David Rhodes is a college history professor driven by the grief of his brother's death in Vietnam in 1966. He becomes determined and resourceful as he uses time travel in a desperate bid to save Chris. His plan leads to being framed for murder by Oswald and a deadly confrontation.

🎓 Professor 💔 Grieving 🔎 Curious

Doctor Koopman (Sam Wanamaker)

An eccentric physics professor whose revolutionary time-travel theory becomes a reality through the protagonists' experiments. He acts as a mentor and moral counterpoint, warning against interference with history. In the end, he helps ensure the travelers abandon their plan.

🧪 Scientist 🧭 Eccentric 🧠 Visionary

Chris Rhodes (Paul Scherrer)

David's older brother, a Vietnam veteran whose death haunts him. In the altered timeline, he returns as a living presence, offering protection and support to his younger brother. He embodies the consequences and hope of changing history.

🪖 Veteran 🫶 Brother ❤️ Protective

Laura Whittaker (Catherine Hicks)

David's girlfriend, a determined and resourceful ally who seeks answers about Koopman's work. She becomes entwined in the time-travel mission, navigating danger and personal loss. She ultimately accepts a future with David.

💪 Determined ❤️ Partner 🧭 Adventurous

Lee Harvey Oswald (James DiStefano)

Lee Harvey Oswald is the assassin who carries out the fateful act in 1963 and frames David, intensifying the danger. He remains a predatory figure who shapes the timeline through his actions. His presence drives the suspense of the original moment.

🎯 Assassin 🧭 Cunning 🗡️ Dangerous

FBI Agent Landry (Wayne Tippit)

FBI Agent Landry pursues the time travelers, representing governmental oversight and the risk of arrest. He is skeptical of the travelers' stories and pushes for containment.

👮 Investigator 🧭 Skeptical 🧩 Bureaucratic

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:51

Major Themes – Running Against Time (1991)

Explore the central themes of Running Against Time (1991), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⏳ Time Paradox

Time travel in Running Against Time creates paradoxes that ripple through people and politics. The attempt to erase or alter a defining moment — Kennedy's assassination — shows how knowledge of the future can destabilize events, including the Vietnam War outcome. The film emphasizes that even well-intentioned changes can backfire in unpredictable ways. The narrative suggests history resists easy manipulation, revealing the cost of playing with fate.

💔 Grief and Obsession

David Rhodes is driven by the grief of losing his older brother Chris in Vietnam in 1966. He becomes determined and resourceful as he uses time travel in a desperate bid to save Chris. His plan leads to being framed for murder by Oswald and a deadly confrontation.

🗺️ History's Drift

History appears to have a direction, yet the characters discover that interfering with the past shifts outcomes in unpredictable ways. The film threads a tension between fixed moments and flexible timelines, culminating in an ending where the living brother remains alive due to altered choices. The act of warning LBJ about the war shows how knowledge of the future can redirect political decisions, sometimes with unintended harm.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:51

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Movies about failed time-travel missions like Running Against Time

Stories where meddling with the past has unintended, bittersweet consequences.If you liked the bittersweet consequences and historical tension in Running Against Time, explore these movies where time-travelers attempt to rewrite history but face unexpected outcomes, blending sci-fi thrills with poignant drama.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a protagonist who gains the ability to travel to a pivotal historical moment, driven by personal loss or a desire for a better world. Their attempts to alter events are met with resistance from the timeline itself, leading to unintended paradoxes, personal danger, and a finale that often salvages a small personal victory from a larger historical failure.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on the limitations of time travel, a tense and reflective tone, and a bittersweet emotional conclusion. They prioritize the emotional journey and philosophical questions over action-packed success stories.

Movies about fugitives in the past like Running Against Time

Characters trapped in a bygone era, fighting to survive and return home.Fans of the tense fugitive storyline in Running Against Time will enjoy these films where characters are trapped in a historical period, evading capture and struggling to survive while the clock ticks on their chance to return.

anxiousdesperatetensethrillinghistoricalfish-out-of-watersurvival

Narrative Summary

The central journey involves a fish-out-of-water protagonist who becomes an accidental fugitive in a past they don't belong to. The plot is a steady-paced cat-and-mouse game, forcing the character to use their wits to avoid capture, often while being framed for a crime. The emotional core is a blend of survival anxiety and a deep, melancholic sense of displacement.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific vibe of sustained tension and anxiety driven by a chase narrative in a historical setting. The experience is defined by the protagonist's desperation and the clever ways they adapt to a world that is both foreign and dangerous.

Unlock the Full Story of Running Against Time

Don't stop at just watching — explore Running Against Time in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Running Against Time is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Running Against Time Summary

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Running Against Time Summary

Running Against Time Timeline

Track the full timeline of Running Against Time with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Running Against Time Timeline

Running Against Time Spoiler-Free Summary

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Running Against Time Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Running Against Time

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