StarTribune.com
minutes041808

Home | Entertainment | Movies

Movie review: '88 Minutes' runs 108 minutes too long

Al Pacino's turgid cop thriller doesn't even live up to the brevity of its title.

Last update: April 17, 2008 - 3:58 PM

The "Freeze, turkey" moment is a staple of cop movies, the dramatic moment when a lawman brandishing badge and gun brings a suspect to a screeching halt. If "88 Minutes" is remembered for nothing else, it will be a footnote in movie history for the sight of Al Pacino waving his ID at a startled motorist and barking, "I'm a forensic psychologist with the FBI. Show me your hands!"

Preposterous in design, abysmal in execution and laugh-out-loud funny when it's straining for drama, the film doesn't even honor the lean-and-mean promise of its title. While its framework is a real-time race to stop a maniacal killer, the movie is a bloated 105 minutes long. If your hopes for a quick, merciful exit rise when the villain taunts "You have 42 minutes left," you're in for a letdown. There's more to come, unfortunately.

Pacino, his eyeballs popping like ping-pong balls and his hair tortured into a ridiculous soufflé, plays Jack Gramm, a Seattle psychology professor with a sideline as a consultant in cases involving serial killers. He played a key role in putting away Jon Forster (Neal McDonough) for the elaborate upside-down bondage killing of a beautiful Asian girl.

Nine years later, as Forster faces execution, an identical murder is committed, casting doubt on his guilt. And a raspy-throated villain (Jigsaw from the "Saw" series taking in a little side work, unless my ears deceive me) tells Gramm he has just 88 minutes left to live because of his role in Forster's conviction.

Pacino spends the rest of the film gunning his silver Porsche around town and barking urgently into his cell phone, while sinister characters try to eliminate him with bombs, arson and gunfire.

The film is peppered with attractive actresses who play Gramm's postgrad students, office staff and college dean. They are ludicrously hot, mostly smitten with Pacino's character, and at least half a head taller than the star. Several are murdered in the mysterious killer's signature hung-from-the-heels manner. They're a fitting image for a film that is topsy-turvy and dead on arrival.

Colin Covert • 612-673-7186

Recent Movies stories

Oscar telecast plays it safe - April 17, 2008
Oscar telecast plays it safe - Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman as producers? Shrug. The academy should be looking for people from the TV world. More

Comment on this story   |   Be the first to comment   |  Hide reader comments

Subscribe
Your Photos and Video

Share photos and videos now

Local Music & Events

The Soap Factory hosts the Haunted Basement. One of the most terrifying haunts in the Twin Cities.

See thousands of photos from other StarTribune.com readers and share your own photos and video today.

Shopping + Classifieds
Yellow Pages

Get A Professional

Find home maintenance, car repair, legal advice, cleaning, and more in the Yellow Pages. Go now!
Coupons and Deals

Save Your $$ With Coupons

Discounts on services, entertainment, dining, gifts, and more. Start saving!

Win a ski trip for two to Utah

Win a five-day Ski vacation for two to beautiful Utah!

See all contests