Split Second

Sam Hurley and Bart Moore stage a dramatic escape from Carson City prison. Moore is shot in the stomach during the breakout. They are picked up by their accomplice, Dummy, who drives them toward a gas station to improvise their next move.

After rifling the register, the trio heads for a ghost town to hide. At a gas station, Hurley murders the attendant who tries to intervene, underscoring Hurley's contempt for anyone who stands in his way.

The fugitives push toward the Nevada Proving Ground ghost town to lay low. They seize Kay Garven and her lover Arthur Ashton, dragging them into the convoy as hostage protection.

Kay's luxury sedan runs out of gas, so the gang flags down Larry Fleming and Dottie Vail and forces them into the group. The growing captive group heads toward the abandoned saloon they will use as a hideout.

The gang occupies a recently inhabited, deserted saloon. Hermit prospector Asa Tremaine appears and is taken prisoner, expanding the roster of people at the mercy of the robbers.

Sam contacts Neal, Kay's husband and a doctor in Los Angeles, and threatens Kay's life if Neal doesn't come to help Bart. The pressure mounts as they keep the hostages under guard.

Neal arrives and performs surgery on Bart Moore, stabilizing him. He warns Sam that moving Bart too soon could be fatal, signaling that the hostage situation may hinge on timing.

Arthur Ashton attempts to act as a hero, but Sam kills him without hesitation. The act removes a potential ally from the hostages and demonstrates Sam's ruthless pragmatism.

Kay uses her feminine wiles to persuade Sam to take her with him when they leave. She weighs the risks of staying with the gang versus boarding a future together with Sam and Bart.

Unknown to the captors, the atomic test has been moved up an hour due to favorable weather. A five-minute warning sounds earlier than expected, accelerating the gang's already tense plans.

Kay barges into Neal's car with Sam as the warning blares, while Larry overpowers Dummy and Sam drives away. The sense of urgency underscores the cold calculus driving the escape.

Asa Tremaine leads Dottie, Larry, and Neal toward a nearby mine, seeking shelter from the blast. The group diverts from Sam's chase, hoping for safety underground.

Sam, misjudging the route, drives toward the bomb while the mine party finds shelter. The ghost town is devastated by the blast as the explosion incinerates the town.

The explosion destroys the ghost town, claiming many lives, but Sam and Kay, along with Asa, survive the blast and escape the immediate danger. Neal, Dottie, Larry, and Arthur are dead; the survivors inch toward safety in the mine.