DVD
REVIEW: 88 Minutes
09/14/08
SYNOPSIS:
In 88 Minutes, Al Pacino stars as Dr. Jack Gramm, a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm
receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to
live, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down
the possible suspects, who include a disgruntled student, a
jilted former lover, and a serial killer who is already on
death row, before his time runs out.
REVIEW: The critics
are killing this movie and I don’t agree. Sure the script
was average at best, the performances lacked intensity, the
movie was longer than 88 minutes which is all it needed, the
story was a bit weak, and the climax was nonchalant, but it
was still entertaining and it has a decent cast. Hmmm,
sounds like I’m contradicting myself, doesn’t it? But
really, I was in shock when I saw the other scores for this
movie. It’s really not that bad. It’s a typical whodunit
thriller that does a good job of keeping you involved with
constant twists and turns. Almost everybody is a suspect.
Al Pacino plays a highly revered forensic psychiatrist and
college professor, Dr. Jack Gramm, who oozes a larger than
life attitude . . . or is that Al being Al, not sure. He has
had the power to influence the jury in many court cases by
simply and convincingly giving his testimony. But what if he
were wrong, imagine the consequences. This movie explores
that possibility and keeps you second guessing as to where
the guilt lies. "Tick, tock, Doc" is the theme of the film
as provided by Jon Forster (Neal McDonough), one of the
victims of Jack’s power who was incarcerated for rape,
murder and everything in between. This was definitely not
one of Al’s better performances. He was sharp and cold, but
too cold, almost unaffected and unemotional. The fact that
it was Al Pacino playing this character had more influence
than his acting. The rest of the cast, although talented and
even with Al not at top form, remained in his shadow and
weren’t able to stand out. Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy
Brenneman, Deborah Kara Unger, William Forsythe, and Neal
McDonough are some of the more popular names that compose
this well-stocked cast. They all did okay but their
intensity levels fell short for this kind of film. The
characters they were playing didn’t help too much either
because they were underdeveloped and intentional.
The look of the movie kept pace with Dr. Gramm as he
scurried around Seattle trying to solve this mystery before
his 88 minutes were up. There was plenty of rain and
dreariness (typical Seattle) to help set the tone and the
various locations were well used. The best part of this film
would have to be the suspense in trying to figure out who
was behind it all. That part of the storyline was well done.
Director Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes, Up Close &
Personal) hadn’t directed a major motion picture in quite a
while. He has done plenty of TV work though, and it shows as
this movie is slightly better than an episode of any of
those crime related TV shows (there are so many to choose
from, and Priscilla is quite addicted to them). And yet, the
last suspense thriller that I saw that can be best compared
to this one was Untraceable and I liked this one a little
more.
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Alternate Ending:
Nothing special in this alternate ending. The theatrical
ending was more appropriated. (10:11)
Commentary with
Director Jon Avnet
“Director’s Point of
View” featurette: - Director Jon Avnet discusses the
making of 88 Minutes and working with Al Pacino (7:47)
“The Character Within”
featurette: - Al Pacino discusses what it takes to
create the perfect character, his collaboration with
director Jon Avnet and working with the film’s other cast
members (7:49)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
| FILM REVIEW |
|
|
VIDEO |
 |
|
AUDIO |
|
| BONUS
FEATURES |
 |
Submit Your Movie Review
MORE MOVIE REVIEWS
>>>
