5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Dr. Jack Gramm is 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.
Starring: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, William ForsytheThriller | 100% |
Crime | 80% |
Drama | 10% |
Psychological thriller | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (locked)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
As recently lamented on the Made of Honor review, the mainstream Hollywood filmmaking process is a truly baffling beast. One wonders at the sheer volume of painfully bad - or just plain forgettable - films, churned out on a weekly basis and sneered at by millions. It is a subject of morbid fascination at how these films are greenlit. How they are financed. How they somehow make it through distribution and promotion, tossed up on the silver screen nationwide for all to gawk at. And of course, the most curious of all is how legendary, brand-name actors are lulled into participation with such a hack job project in the first place.
Enter 88 Minutes. The film came, and went, through theatres with little fanfare last April, and not without reason. Meant to be a crime thriller of sorts, the film stars Al Pacino, who really couldn't save this cinematic mess if he tried. The basic premise has Pacino, a forensic psychiatrist by the name of Jack Gramm, receiving a mysterious death threat from whom he suspects to be serial killer Jon Forster (Neal McDonough), an inmate at the Washington State Penitentiary who is only there because of Gramm's pivotal professional input at the witness stand. While on his way to his morning university class, Gramm gets a sudden and very unsettling call on his cell phone. "You have 88 minutes to live. Tick tock, doc!"
A picture perfect breakfast made by a hot naked chick in an apron. Yup, it's that kind of movie.
Encoded in AVC and averaging roughly 25 Mbps, 88 Minutes shows yet again that even the silliest throwaway movies can look great in high definition. The overall color tone of the film is muted, with urban scenes aplenty set amidst a dreary wet autumn. Lots of blacks and grays with a bluish tint dominate much of the time, and it isn't the prettiest film to look at, but sets the appropriate grim tone. Fortunately, when more lively hues pop up onscreen, like the greens of lawns, the oranges of changing foliage, or the fiery red hair of Gramm's teaching assistant Kim (Alicia Witt), they seem to attract more attention than they are supposed to on this Blu-ray release, because they look lovely in contrast to the rest of the film's palette. Blacks and shadow detail are presented well, and whites are bright but never bloom. Textures of skin, hair, and textures are satisfactorily clear and distinguishable. Contrast is nicely set, and there is a fine layer of film grain present much of the time. Sony continues to keep a high standard for BD even with their more embarrassing ventures like 88 Minutes.
No compressed options are to be found here as 88 Minutes features Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes in both English and French. With few exceptions, dialogue is clear and easy to understand, even in quieter introspective moments. The scoring by Edward Shearmur is never too intrusive on the action or the dialogue, though will still make its presence known by a fairly loud volume at times. Rear speakers pick up some score bleeding and engulf the viewer in the action with generous ambient sound. LFE are used to ample effect during much of the action, creating appropriate chaos without becoming too "boomy." In short, 88 Minutes boasts a fine aural mix, typical for films of its ilk, and the lossless TrueHD mix is a welcome inclusion on this Blu-ray release.
88 Minutes comes with a handful of extra features which, aside from the included trailers, are presented in standard definition. The the lengthiest by far is the Audio Commentary with director Jon Avnet. Avnet seems to be the kind of person who is more suited to producing than directing a film - and indeed, his IMDb credits show many more producer listings for film and TV, as opposed to outright directing. Avnet does not seem to have a connection with his chosen subject matter, and the result is all too plain on the screen. If nearly two hours worth of the director drawling on isn't enough for you, there is also the Director's Point of View, a featurette running just under 8 minutes in which Avnet speaks of the film's subject matter. The man only comes off as incredibly crass when he mentions things like speaking to World War II death camp survivors when trying to understand the victim mindset. How exactly are persecuted Jews relevant to victims of a serial killer in a fictional crime thriller? Only Jon Avnet knows, I suppose.
The disc also features an Alternate Ending, which is in fact more of an extended ending, adding a further few final moments which seem to bring better closure to the film overall. A second featurette, entitled The Character Within, is also just under 8 minutes; sitting down with Al Pacino, the actor gives his impressions of his character Jack Gramm, and speaks a bit on how he prepares for such a role.
Finally, Sony includes the plugs. Gotta have the plugs! The BD-Live function seems the same as other Sony BD titles, featuring trailers for download as well as a few interactive features for other releases - none are relevant to 88 Minutes. A handful of Previews for other recommended Blu-rays from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are provided, including Prom Night, Made of Honor, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, 21, Vantage Point, Untraceable, Resident Evil: Degeneration, and Felon.
With an incoherent narrative that simply does not succeed in enticing the viewer to care about the happenings onscreen, 88 Minutes can be added to the ever-growing pile of Hollywood junk cinema. Star Al Pacino seems to do the best with what he is given, but even his involvement doesn't make the film any more bearable. For its large and confusing array of female characters, not a one of them is more than a pawn or a set piece. Even random male characters are inserted purportedly to keep the viewer guessing, but are simply dropped when they no longer service the "plot." A real mess that leaves the viewer cold, 88 Minutes is one to avoid.
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