Wednesday, June 15, 2011

88 Minutes Movie Review

Absorbing Crime Narrative

I have always liked Al Pacino's movies because they are action packed like the Serpico, full of suspense such as Dick Tracy and of course the super crime thriller The Godfather series. 88 Minutes is available free to watch on Youtube and that helped me make a decision to watch it. The movie doesn't have a high number of votes on Rotten Tomatoes but still I decided to watch it and boy it was not a mistake at all. The hour and 47 minutes spent watching this movie doesn't have one boring moment and thrills the audience to the end.

Al Pacino plays successful forensic psychologist Jack Gramm whose professional opinion seals the fate of serial rapist and killer Jon Forster played by Neal McDonough. Fast forward nine years on the day Forster is supposed to be executed Gramm receives a phone call saying that he has only 88 minutes to live. This sets into motion a frenzy of bombing, shooting, car chases and there is no indication as to who is the real villain.

The screenplay is so well conceived that there is no hint of who the culprit could be till the very end of the movie. The twists and turns of the plot keeps the viewer guessing as to who the real killer is. Is it Gramm himself, or is it his beautiful homosexual assistant or the male student who is questioning his professor's logic, or is it one of the female students who has a crush on him.

Director Jon Avnet has done a good job in extracting great performances from all the actors. The cool jubilant exterior of Forster when his execution gets stayed even if briefly. The tension on Gramm's face and the aloofness of the FBI agents etc are all well done. Writer Gary Scott Thompson has done a good job in story telling which has been translated into visual imagery very well by Avnet.

This is definitely entertaining but does not merit any awards. Simply put I am pretty sure the producers made good of their investment and everyone involved is happy with the return on their investment. I wouldn't watch it again, simply because I know the end.

The are times during the movie when the plot seems confusing and abrupt. Apart from these little irritants 88 Minutes is a totally watchable movie and I would suggest take the opportunity to its free availability on Youtube and grab it.

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