Set in the 1940's, Time's Up Eve follows a woman, Eve (Sharon Wright), who finds herself traveling through the dark alleys of the inner city as she attempts to elude shadowy figures who have claimed the souls of her friends and loved ones.

Many directors attempt to create film noir, a seemingly natural choice for the low-budget indie director with its black-and-white camera work and seemingly simplistic production designs. That is, many attempt but few succeed. To capture an effective film noir atmosphere is not quite as simple as one might think, as such an approach involves the perfect look, the perfect pace, the perfect design, the perfect vocal stylings and, of course, a story that complements it all.

Time's Up, Eve is damn near perfect.

Director Patrick Rea paces the film to perfection and, quiet wisely, leaves the evil for the most part hidden within the shadows that surround Eve in every moment. The way the film is constructed, it's apparent that this evil can strike out from the shadows at any given moment, an evil that seems formless and emotionless and remorseless as it strikes, steals one's soul then returns to the shadows accompanied by a classic, eerie jazz score that heightens the suspense and sense of surrounding evil.

While Time's Up, Eve is a darkly lit film, the camera work of Hanuman Brown-Eagle is pristine as it envelopes the screen and Wright's face in a masterful blend of ominous dread and stunning vulnerability. Seldom have camera and character intertwined with such compelling results. Watch, as well, for a tremendously simple yet effective special effect involving photos that wonderfully illustrates how even a modestly budgeted indie filmmaker can incorporate special effects to tremendous benefit.

Sharon Wright is perfectly cast as the mysterious Eve, a woman who seems simultaneously of great fragility with subtle shades of her own darkness. Wright looks and feels like a 40's starlet, a throwback to Hollywood's wonder years. A good actress can sell the most questionable of characters, and Wright keeps you hooked on Eve's constantly evolving story that is only slowly revealed.

With just the right blend of psychological thriller, 40's crime drama, creature classic and true film noir, Patrick Rea's Time's Up, Eve is destined to be hugely popular on the indie and horror film festival circuit. While its horrors are largely those to be found within one's soul, sometimes those are the most frightening horrors of all.