88 MINUTES
US, 2007, 108 minutes, Colour.
Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Lelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, William Forsythe, Deborah Kara Unger, Neal Mc Donough.
Directed by Jon Avnet.
Well, yes, it is far, far-fetched (we hope) and aspects of the plot and the murders seem to defy ordinary logistics and, yes, it is melodramatic and has more than a couple of lurid aspects, but this is what we might expect from this kind of heightened crime thriller rather than detailed and credible realism. To see it as the equivalent of an hour's episode of a police thriller which goes for realism is to misjudge the intentions of the film-makers. That said, this is one of those breathless thrillers where someone is threatened with death in 88 minutes and he has to track down the killer and save himself.
It has been directed by Jon Avnet who went on to make Righteous Kill with Al Pacino and Robert de Niro. Both are extremely melodramatic but this one has the edge over Righteous Kill.
The film opens with a gruesome killing, the arrest of the perpetrator, a court case and his being found guilty, especially because of the testimony of the victim's twin sister who glimpsed him as he tried to kill her and, especially, the expert witness, Jack Gramm, a psychiatrist who assists the police in their work. Al Pacino is Jack Gramm.
The rest of the action takes place nine years later as the murderer is about to be executed. A similar murder is discovered and Jack Gramm is implicated. He also receives a series of phone calls threatening him with death in 88 minutes (a sadistic touch as Gramm's little sister had been murdered years earlier and tortured for 88 minutes and he had been haunted by guilt since). Gramm believes that the murder has been orchestrated by the condemned man and tries to find out who, especially among his university students, had visited him and could be the accomplice.
There is a lot of breathless running, driving and constant mobile phone calls which speeds up the research as well as the ease of contact from the killer. There is, naturally, a great deal of misdirection but, on the whole, the screenplay plays fair with clues and indications which means that suspicions become more focused because of a suspicious incident about half way through.
Alicia Witt and Lelee Sobieski appear as two of the psychiatrist's students. Amy Brenneman is his loyal assistant and Deborah Kara Unger is the faculty principal. Neal Mc Donagh is the eerily charming murderer, appearing on national television hours before his execution.
Not a Pacino must but geared to the thriller audience.
1.A psychological thriller? Serial killer thriller?
2.The Seattle settings, the city as a character, the streets, university, apartments, the weather? The atmospheric score?
3.The structure of the film: the initial murder, the trial? Nine years passing? The action in one day? The eighty-eight minutes? The dynamic of detecting, chasing and discovering?
4.The title, the experience of Jack’s sister, Katie? The callousness and brutality? The phone calls to Jack, the repeating of the number of minutes left for him, written indications?
5.The impact on the audience of the crimes, the twin sisters, the intruder, the murder, the rape? The other twin and her scream? The killer fleeing? The sister identifying the killer in court? Jack’s testimony, the questions of the prosecutor? The reactions of the defence? The guilty verdict? The killer and his look at Jack, “Tick-tock”?
6.The nine years passing, the day of the killer’s execution? The appeals, not granted, his appearing on television, the interview, Jack phoning in and confronting him, protesting his innocence? The phone call to Lauren – and the failure of his plan?
7.Al Pacino as Jack, in himself, age, the guilt from his sister’s death, his explanation later to Kim about what had happened, his being young, leaving his sister alone, her death? The madman, his being caught, his imprisonment? The eighty-eight minutes? The new beginning in Seattle, the psychiatric work, working for the police, the contact with Frank? His clients? His lectures? Kim as his assistant? The students and his attitude towards them in class? His lecture? His relationships, womanising?
8.His being with the escort woman, leaving, the phone call? The beginning of the day? His working with Shelley, her character, his assistant, her handling the calls, getting the information? Lauren and the documents? Shelley’s confession, wanting to help?
9.Frank, friendship, a solid policeman? The district attorney, his youthfulness, the cookie and the milk? The interview? The murder, the mode of murder, copycat, another killer? The death of the student? The death of the escort?
10.Jack, going to his lecture, his manner, discussing the killer? Michael and his comments, the visits to the killer in prison, smart, the final confrontation, Jack firing the gun?
11.Kim, as assistant, giving the lecture until Jack arrived? Going with Jack, suspicions, her story, her marriage, her husband, the pursuit? Driving with him, going to the escort’s apartment, finding her dead? Her fears? Her being abducted?
12.Lauren, smart? Her being hurt, the encounter with Shelley? The revelation of the truth? The documents, her being the killer’s lawyer, charmed by him, doing his work, the imitation deaths, the indications to Jack, the disguised phone calls? How credible?
13.The fire at the university, the different messages, Carol as the head, her past relationship with Jack? Her being abducted and used by Lauren?
14.Frank, the second murder, his wariness about Jack? Straight up and down? His believing Jack’s arguments? His being present at the building, firing the shot, killing Lauren?
15.The flashbacks, the people at the bar, Lauren and her being unobtrusive, the escort, the murdered girl? Guy and his presence, his being at the university, on the bike, at the door, his being shot? The relationship with Kim?
16.The elaborate plan? Using the escort, Lauren and her setting Jack up, the evidence?
17.Jack, the anxieties of the day, driving, the phone calls, the information, the threats? The car exploding? In his apartment, Lauren, Kim, the shootings, getting out?
18.The final confrontation, Lauren and her confidence, Carol and Kim and their being helpless? Jack using his psychiatry, Lauren and her growing assurance, explaining herself? Frank shooting her? Rescuing Kim and Carol? The killer’s final phone call? The resolution of the mystery?
