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| Available at Amazon.com |
Al Pacino is an amazing actor. When you hear he’s going to be in a movie you sit up and take notice. That doesn’t mean that every movie he makes is great. His latest film released on DVD is director Jon Avnet’s 88 Minutes. Is this another memorable film for the Al Pacino cannon, or is it just another crime thriller?
This time around Al Pacino plays Dr. Jack Gramm, a forensics psychiatrist who gives testimony to put a serial killer in prison. Nine years later on the night the serial killer is to be put to death, his MO begins again and people begin to question his guilt and Jack’s motives.
The next day, after learning that one of his students was murdered, he gets a phone call telling him he has 88 minutes to live. Being a paranoid man, Jack begins to suspect anyone and everyone as he begins to piece together the mystery.
It’s a pretty straightforward thriller that is solely held together by Pacino’s performance. The film has some strong moments and could have been a memorable film save two very important moments: the beginning and the end. The opening scene is the serial killer’s brutal murder that gets him ID’d and caught. It’s a pretty disturbing scene that is seriously flawed by the bad acting of the victims and, being that this is the first bit of acting seen in the film, it leaves the viewer with a bad impression right from the start.
The rest of the film goes along fine and you lose the bad taste that opening scene left in your mouth then you get to the end. The final pieces of the puzzle falls into place the killer is revealed and it’s not that exciting. It’s not a big twist or big surprise and it’s not that interesting. You just kind of think, “Oh, okay.” And you’re ready for the next movie.
I’m not saying it’s a bad film. It’s entertaining and certainly delivers some acceptable thrills and mystery, but it’s nothing special.
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. English and French subtitles as well as a French language track. The film looks really good and there is most certainly nothing I can complain about here.
Commentary by Jon Avnet: A pretty typical commentary. Avnet talks about some behind the scenes stuff and about working with Pacino, but most the time he just describes the scenes as they happen which gets kind of boring.
Alternate Ending: (10 min.) It’s really good they didn’t use this ending. It’s pretty darn bad. They probably shouldn’t even have bothered including it as a special feature.
Director’s Point Of View: (7 min.) Jon Avnet talks about getting involved with the project, working with Al Pacino, Pacino’s performance and the story and characters of the film. It’s sort of a commentary light for those of us who don’t care to sit through the film again.
The Character Within: (7 min.) Al Pacino talks about his character and why he chose to the do the film. Its sort of a usual featurette you find on DVDs. Kinda cool, nothing special.
This film sat on the shelf for a while before finally getting a theatrical release earlier this year. Now it’s getting released on DVD right when Avnet’s newest film with Al Pacino, Righteous Kill. It seems like the timing was perfect to get 88 Minutes some extra notice. It’s a decent film and worth renting, but you probably won’t care to see it a second time.
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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents 88 Minutes. Directed by Jon Avnett. Written by Gary Scott Thompson. Starring Al Pacino, Alicia Witt and Leelee Sobieski. Running time: 107 minutes. Rated R for disturbing violent content, brief nudity and language. Released on DVD: September 16, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.
About Mike Noyes
