88 Minutes

reviewed by Sam Osborn

Well we’ve been duped, is all I can say. Don’t be fooled by the hooky plot, flashy trailers, and the silvery rasp of Al Pacino. This film is a sham. And they lied, dammit. They lied. The film is 108 minutes. Even the title is a sham.

Due for execution is Jon Forster (Neal McDonough), the supposed serial murderer–bouncily entitled “The Seattle Slayer”–put away by a testimony from Forensic Psychologist Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino). The evidence put forth by Dr. Gramm during the trial, however, was circumstantial, not proving Mr. Forster’s guilt with any physical evidence. And now that his execution draws near, copycat murders have appeared around the city, again putting Dr. Gramm’s testimony under scrutiny. Hours before the execution is scheduled, Dr. Gramm receives a call. It’s the Seattle Slayer, and he says Dr. Gramm has 88 minutes to live.

A film with a countdown depends on its own urgency. If Al Pacino isn’t worried about his own expiration date, then we aren’t either. And he’s not even breaking a sweat. Mr. Pacino breezes through this movie on the gas not burned from other, better performances he gave in other, also better, films. He’s a loud, high-octane guy. But here he’s coasting.

The film doesn’t exactly have a lead-foot, though. 88 minutes never felt so long. The plot jerks around like an episode of “Law & Order” watched by somebody who doesn’t know how to operate their TiVo remote. It leaps and skips plot points, finds suspicious characters and forgets others, and then hopscotches down to a solution that was an obvious, “fine, I give up” moment for Gary Scott Thompson, the screenwriter. Even the Seattle Slayer’s trademark murder method is nonsensically dull. The victims hang like scissors from a couple carabineers, a slit run through their leg. It’s goofy; like an unfortunate bouldering accident.

88 Minutes is a failed version of other, superior numerically-situated films. It’s like 16 Blocks with a dead end. Phone Booth with a busy signal. Se7en with a counting disability. It’s 88 minutes of time you’ll never have back. Not to mention it’s actually 108 minutes.

Sam Osborn