57 Seconds 2023

Franklin (Josh Hutcherson), a passionate tech blogger, had been tirelessly striving for months to secure an interview with his tech idol and maestro, Anton Burrell (Morgan Freeman). Anton is a brilliant scientist on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery that promises optimal health without relying on pills or conventional medications. Franklin even takes a low-wage job at Anton’s company to snag an interview with the genius to know more about the secrets of his innovation.

Moreover, Franklin also enlists the help of his friend Andy, who manages to procure an access badge by stealing it from his boss. With the pilfered access badge in hand, Franklin sneaks behind the scenes during a presentation. However, fortune was not on his side as he was caught red-handed by Anton himself. Curious, Anton advises Franklin to stay put while he concludes his presentation. Anton Burrell unveils his magnum opus, “Tri-Band 5,” a revolutionary innovation that holds the promise of helping people achieve optimal health without relying on traditional medical interventions.

Anton passionately explains that the Tri-Band device, worn on the wrist, harnesses neuro-technology to unlock an individual’s full potential effortlessly. It likewise holds the remarkable ability to mitigate the need for pills to manage conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and even drug addiction. However, just as Anton is about to conclude the interview, an enraged audience member storms onto the stage, brandishing a gun and posing a serious threat to Anton’s life.

In a split-second act of heroism, Franklin pushes the assailant away and saves Anton’s life. In gratitude for his heroics, Anton promises Franklin the interview he has been seeking. As Franklin makes his way off the stage, he notices Anton’s ring lying on the floor. He picks up the ring without a second thought, only to experience a perplexing and inexplicable phenomenon-being transported 57 seconds back into the past.

The movie introduces the audience to Sig (Greg Germann), a pharmaceutical giant locked in a fierce rivalry with Anton’s company. Sig despises Anton for inventing a device that could revolutionize health outcomes, fearing it could decimate his own business. He suspects Anton of orchestrating an attack to promote his innovation and instructs Calvert (Sammi Rotibi) to gather evidence supporting this theory. Additionally, Sig directs them to monitor Franklin’s activities closely.

On a different note, Franklin thoughtlessly exploits Anton’s ring, using it to travel back in time repeatedly to engage in an affair with his colleague Jala (Lovie Simone). He also uses the ring’s powers to win thousands of dollars at a roulette table. Unfortunately, casino security accuses him of cheating and escorts him out.

Once outside the casino, Franklin encounters Calvert, who discloses Sig Thornson’s desire for a meeting. However, Franklin firmly declines Calvert’s request. Franklin harbors an intense loathing for Sig Thornton above all else. Franklin had a twin sister named Natalie, who was administered Zonastin, a painkiller manufactured by Sig’s company, following a car crash.

Tragically, Natalie fell victim to addiction due to the highly addictive nature of Zonastin. Franklin spared no expense to help his sister. But she ultimately lost her life to a fatal overdose. Heartbroken by Natalie’s death and fueled by his rage, Franklin devoted himself to exposing the truth about Zonastin’s deadly effects. He spent his remaining resources to start a health blog, using an alias and concealing his IP to protect himself from the avaricious corporate criminals he sought to expose.

Ingram, Anton’s right hand, arranges for Franklin to meet with Anton Burrell for an interview. Anton extends his gratitude to Franklin for saving his life and presents him with a cutting-edge triband device. During the interview, Anton reveals his groundbreaking vision of revolutionizing tri-bands beyond their current capabilities. Anton explains that he is tirelessly working on enhancing tri-bands to prevent physical injuries resulting from accidents and crashes.

Anton further discloses that years ago, he stumbled upon a remarkable substance infused with quantum particles during a research project. Now, Anton intends to integrate this quantum substance into the tri-bands, aiming to eradicate accidents and their associated harm. Also, the ring Franklin possesses contains quantum particles, granting him an extraordinary ability to travel back in time.

Franklin finally makes up his mind to confront Sig, and what better way to do it than to take him up for an interview? Sig extends a generous offer to Franklin, proposing that he become the official spokesperson for his company. Franklin rejects the offer and goes so far as to physically assault Sig, delivering a resounding slap. However, Franklin once again travels back in time and accepts Sig’s offer.

Franklin also gains Sig’s trust by accurately predicting what’s going to happen in the next 57 seconds. But Why? This ploy is part of Franklin’s grand plan to infiltrate Sig’s company and exploit his position to unearth incriminating evidence regarding Sig’s knowledge of the harmful effects of Zonastin. He plans to expose the truth and seek justice for the countless lives lost due to the addictive drug.

On the other hand, Sig has a persistent ringing in his ears, suspecting that Franklin’s predictive abilities may somehow be linked to Anton’s revolutionary tri-band technology. Sig invites Franklin and Jala to his Miami house, hoping to get behind Franklin’s magic trick. Franklin saves Sig Thornton from a would-be assassin who stormed onto a stage, intending to kill him.

The attacker is eventually identified as the husband of Susan Miller, a former Sig Thornton company employee. Tragically, Susan Miller had taken her own life inside her office for reasons that remain hidden. Franklin attempted to investigate the circumstances surrounding Susan Miller’s apparent suicide. However, his efforts to unravel the mystery proved frustratingly unproductive, hitting dead ends.

Jala ultimately learns about Franklin’s secret but is having a hard time believing time-traveling is possible. She also breaks up with Franklin, as he constantly lied to her. For a while, Frankin had lost sight of his original mission. He was caught in opulence, indulging in his newfound wealth and luxuries rather than pursuing the truth about Sig’s company. However, Jala’s decision to leave Franklin was a wake-up call for him.

Franklin drives to Renee’s (Bevin Bru) office and puts a pistol to her head. He keeps murdering, resurrecting, and killing her again until she gives him the combination to her safe, all thanks to his time-traveling ring. After everyone leaves, Franklin proceeds to break into Renee’s secure safe. Inside, he discovers a cache of discs and an assortment of photographs meticulously organized. Sig Thornton maintained an extensive dossier of incriminating pictures, a tool to manipulate and coerce his employees into complying with his corrupt schemes. These photographs are refutable evidence that Sig’s power was built on a foundation of blackmail and exploitation.

With Andy’s (Mark Jacobson) help, Franklin disseminates the evidence to major media outlets, unveiling the depths of Sig Thornton’s crime. The evidence conclusively links Sig Thornton to the murder of Susan Miller. It reveals how he orchestrated her death and framed it as a suicide with the help of Renee and Calvert. In tandem, Franklin composes a final blog post on his website detailing his reasons for going off the grid. In a desperate attempt to escape the consequences of his actions, Sig kidnaps Franklin.

Furthermore, he attempts to flee to his private island. But the authorities catch up, and a confrontation ensues. Unfortunately, Sig’s jet malfunctions due to police fire while taking off. Inside the jet, Sig discovers the truth about Franklin’s time-traveling. He pleads for Franklin to save him. But Franklin refuses, consumed by the desire for retribution for his sister’s death. The jet crashes, and against the odds, Franklin survives. Towards the end of “57 Seconds,” the audience sees Anton Burrell extending an invitation to join him in his research and make the world a better place. Franklin denies the offer. Subsequently, Anton asks him to return the ring. Interestingly, Franklin decides to do something different and breaks the ring.

Anton Burrell’s right-hand man, Ingram, unbeknownst to many, was an android created by Anton himself. On the day of Anton’s presentation, when Franklin picked up Anton’s ring, Ingram recognized Franklin as the ideal candidate to test the revolutionary time-traveling technology. Anton closely monitored Franklin’s progress through the tri-bands he had generously gifted as a gesture of gratitude for Franklin’s past heroics. After Franklin miraculously survived the plane crash, Anton extended an invitation to him, urging him to join his team in perfecting the time-traveling technology.

The goal was to enable humans to traverse back in time for significantly longer durations than the mere 57 seconds provided by the ring. However, Franklin grappled with ethical concerns and a belief that the ring, much like Zonastin, could be addicting, compelling its wearer to continually correct their past actions without regard for the potential repercussions. In Franklin’s eyes, the ring represented overwhelming power bestowed upon a single individual. He feared that manipulating time, a universal and essential factor, could lead to disharmony and significant imbalances in the world. Thus, Franklin chooses to destroy the ring. (thanks to highonfilms)