88 Minutes

PASSING THOUGHTS
When Al Pacino talked about the nature of “88 Minutes” in one of the DVD featurettes, he said the plot was not action-driven—that the entertainment would be generated by the story’s psychological and emotional exploration.

Unfortunately he was right.

The problem is that said psychological exploration consists of a few flashbacks, a very Scooby-Doo-ish everyone-is-a-suspect presentation, and a touching—albeit brief—monologue by Pacino near the end of the film. Ergo, there is little exploration and even less entertainment. This however, is not where the film went wrong. There are plenty of movies that aren’t action-packed and psychologically-charged but still manage to be entertaining. “88” breaks three rules, which results in an overall lethargic pace and an anti-climatic finish.

The first broken rule has to do with “88 Minutes’” unique premise. If the hook of the movie is that the protagonist has 88 minutes to live, time is important. Speed is of the essence. There should be a sense of urgency in every scene that is more palpable than your average suspense/thriller. But the sequence of events, Pacino’s reaction to them, and the way the scenes are shot gives the film a comparatively leisurely feel that makes the pacing seem even slower than it is.

The second rule concerns the protagonist: at some point, he or she must turn the tables. If the movie starts with the villain holding all the proverbial cards, there has to be a moment—generally at the end of the second act—where the protagonist starts going on the offensive. Maybe he finds a clue that gives him information he shouldn’t have, or he sets up safety measures that come into play later on. Somehow the hero must take control of the situation so that what happens next is based on his decisions not those of the antagonist. Pacino’s character never becomes respectable. He doesn’t follow clues as much as he takes orders from the phone-in-villain, and his countermeasures are generalized instead of inspired.

The final broken rule pertains to the suspense/mystery genre in particular. The villain can be anyone as long as he or she has a credible motive that at least makes sense in retrospect. “88’s” active villain lacks the depth, rationale, and plausibility necessary to bring the mystery to a satisfactory end. The only explanation is a kind of psychological philosophy that would take more than 107 minutes to figure out.

BASICS

Your Cup O’ Tea:
If you just want a very basic story that unfolds leisurely with vague elements of suspense and mystery. It’s well-performed and not without intrigue, so it won’t be painful to watch as long as you don’t expect too much. It’s a rainy-day-not-much-else-going-on type of flick that doesn’t waste your time but doesn’t give you much in exchange for it either. If you’ve seen every movie you really wanted to see, this is better than the B-movies out there and won’t bore you. Also, if you’re a student of psychology, you might find this an interesting study to wrap your mind around.

Steer Clear:
If you’re looking for a fast-paced action flick with lots of effects and stunts, or you want a suspenseful thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. And for those faint of heart, be warned that there are several scenes depicting violent acts against women. Even though there is little gore, there is blood and not a few chilling moments of women screaming for their lives. The carnage is on-going, not simply something that launches the story and/or wraps it up. Certainly not the most graphic violence (most of it entails a half-naked woman suspended from the ceiling by one leg) but perhaps more than would be expected. On par with the violence at the outset of “The Fugitive”, only more frequent and with just as many flashbacks.

Nothing New Under the Sun:
This reminded me a lot of “Get Carter”: it features a high-ranking star, it has the potential to be stellar, it seems to be a pure action/suspense at the outset, and it takes place in Seattle. –It also neglects a lot of the back story, relies heavily on emotional ramifications, and winds up being all-too forgettable. “88” also reminded me of “Phone Booth” with Colin Ferrell (phone-based with established boundaries for the protagonist), only without the swift pace and pulse. It really combines basic elements from various genres (suspense, mystery, thriller, action, slasher) but never really nails any of them. In this way I suppose it is unique, though the basic theme of “man stalked by unknown killer out for revenge” is going to be ring familiar from any number of films.

Buy or Rent:
RENT. It’s a straight-forward tale with no truly memorable scenes or effects. You’ll see it and most likely be done with the DVD in less than 120 minutes.

FEATURES

-Scene Selection

-Languages

-Commentary with Director Jon Avnet

-Director’s Point of View
Approx 7.5 minutes. A featurette with Jon Avnet as he discusses some general aspects of the film. Avnet’s narration is accompanied by a few behind-the-scenes shots, but most of the visuals are stills or clips from the movie. Most of the monologue is regarding the director’s general thoughts on shooting the film and the subject matter.
DUH! FACTOR: 10 out of 10

-Alternate Ending
Approx 10 minutes (3.20 minutes of new footage). This extra footage doesn’t change the ending, but rather extends it to include scenes of Forster’s execution intermixed with a lecture from Gramm about living life as a victim. A tidy tying of loose ends but nothing that changes the direction or feel of the film.
DUH! FACTOR: 9 out of 10

-The Character Within
Approx 7.5 minutes. Very similar to “Director’s Point of View”, only from Al Pacino’s perspective. Pacino discusses what he saw in the script and the film and why he chose to play the character. The footage beneath his discourse is almost identical to what is seen in “Director’s POV”, and he echoes many of Avnet’s thoughts about what it’s like to be a surviving victim of a crime.
DUH! FACTOR: 9 out of 10

-Previews –I believe this is the most extensive collection of previews ever assembled on one DVD.
“Lakeview Terrace”, “The Lazarus Project”, “Blu-ray Disc is High Definition!”, “Quarantine”, “Quantum of Solace”, “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan”, “Hancock”, “Step Brothers”, “Pineapple Express”, “Prom Night”, “21”, “Vantage Point”, “Made of Honor”, “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder”, Resident Evil: Degeneration”, “Zombie Strippers”, “Redbelt”, “The Shield Seasons 1-6”, “Untraceable”, “The Art of War: Betrayal”, “Tortured”, “Felon”, Hot Action Movies (Footage from “Casino Royale”, “Spiderman”, Charlie’s Angels”, “Ghost Rider”, “Stealth”, “XXX”, “The DaVinci Code”, “A Knight’s Tale”, “Rocky Balboa”), “The Fall”.

Woulda Been Nice: Other than a few more previews from Sony, I’m not sure there’s anything missing. I think some comments by the writer would have been helpful in seeing whether or not the final vision was anything like what he originally put on paper.