88 Minutes (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
O Good
X OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / May 17, 2008

In 1952, a western called “High Noon” starring Gary Cooper made excellent use of real time to fuel the suspense and intrigue of its narrative. “88 Minutes” is much less effective at employing real time, to the point that it’s almost unnoticeable. And in 1997, Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt starred in “The Devil’s Own,” a poor film that is barely carried by its stars. “88 Minutes” is the same: It is barely carried by Al Pacino.

The film opens in Seattle in 1997 when a serial murderer and rapist dubbed “The Seattle Slayer” is on the loose. Like all movie serial killers, this one does a strange thing to his victims. The film jumps to nine years later, when the man convicted as The Seattle Slayer, Jon Forster (Neal McDonough), is waiting till his midnight execution, after years on Death Row.

The man who is primarily responsible for Forster’s conviction is Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino), a forensic psychiatrist and highly esteemed professor at the University of Northwest Washington. Naturally, the two arch nemeses have a burning hatred for each other.

All of this is setup for the rest of the movie, most of which is supposed to be in real time. On the same day that Forster is to be executed, another Seattle Slayer murder scene surfaces and Dr. Gramm’s credibility is not only put into question, he’s also implicated. What worse, Gramm gets a mysterious phone call that informs him that he only has 88 minutes to live. Several more phone calls follow, reminding Gramm (and us) of his “dead”line. I couldn’t help myself.

The biggest problem with “88 Minutes” is that Gramm spends most of his time making and answering phone calls, which quickly becomes tiresome: It’s like spending an hour and a half with a busy secretary. All this “reaching out and touching someone” occurs while Gramm dodges various dangerous situations and the pervading suspicion of his students.

The movie isn’t bad; it just isn’t good. And above all, “88 Minutes” isn’t worth the 108 minutes that it takes to watch it.

Directed by Jon Avnet
Al Pacino / Neal McDonough / Alicia Witt
Crime / Mystery 108 min.
MPAA: R (for disturbing violent content, brief nudity and language)

U.S. Release Date: April 18, 2008
Copyright 2008: 280