 KSL Movie Show Review:...
88 MINUTES *1/2 By Steve Salles Standard Examiner movie critic GO: if you keep waiting for Al Pacino to have another great role. DON’T GO: this isn’t it. I’m not sure where to begin - but I can tell you one thing - this movie is a mess. Al Pacino plays an FBI forensic psychiatrist who manages to get a man convicted for murder merely by creating a psychological profile so damaging that the jury gives the guy the death penalty. Well, come on. It IS Al Pacino, after all. No DNA, no fingerprints, only a fleeting glimpse by a potential victim - in other words - a pretty flimsy case completely built on circumstantial evidence and Pacino’s powerful testimony. So, Dr. Jack Gramm (Pacino) is out partying with his college students the night before the “Seattle Slayer” Jon Forster (Neal McDonough) is to be executed and the next morning all hell breaks loose. Some woman Dr. Gramm wanted to sleep with is found dead - same technique used by the convicted Seattle Slayer. The poor thing was drugged, strung up feet first with climbing gear and slowly cut up with a scalpel until she bled to death. The FBI boys come to Gramm in a panic, including some new kid named Agent Guber (I’m not making that up). He starts grilling the good doctor, who is more interested in serving cookies and milk than answering questions. In fact, he seems awfully cavalier about the whole thing considering some of the evidence is pointing right at him. But he can’t be bothered with this nonsense. He has a forensic psychology class to teach, but wait, he’ll get a menacing phone call, “Tick tock, doc. You have only 88 minutes to live.” While most college professors would be choking on their frappachino, smooth Dr. Jack makes phone calls. “Trace this! Check that! Put my tanning salon on standby!” He’s a cool customer - always observing - always accusing - always annoying. And of course, every student in his class has that “maybe I’m the killer” look. Every temp doorman is a suspect. Every campus security cop looks menacing. And then there’s that one guy on the motorcycle that keeps sneering and disappearing. By the time Dr. Gramm gets down to his last thirty minutes and more bodies are found with his . . . um . . . DNA in their special places - heck - even I’m starting to believe he’s either a suspect or Johnny Appleseed. Fortunately, he’s got his loyal secretary (Amy Brenneman) making those all-important phone calls and his old FBI buddy Frank (William Forsythe) arresting everyone he suspects. Meanwhile, Pacino is working his tail off. He’s running, climbing, reading, interrogating, shooting, hugging, consoling, cajoling every potential suspect with absolute reckless abandon, while a bevy of young beauties are professing their love/hate for their rock star professor. Everything’s riding on the ending, but when the dust settles, the big reveal is even more ridiculous than the buildup. Poor Pacino, longing for the days of “The Godfather” and forced to settle for “the god-awful” - It’s a crying shame - Whoo-ah! THE FILM: “88 Minutes” OUR RATING: *1/2 STARRING: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, William Forsythe and Deborah Kara Unger BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by Jon Avnet (“Fried Green Tomatoes” “Up Close & Personal”) - filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia PLAYING: Running time: 88 minutes + 20 more MPAA RATING: R movies at a glance: 88 MINUTES *1/2 (R) disturbing violent content, brief nudity and language. Al Pacino plays a forensic psychiatrist who put a man on death row with his powerful testimony, but must now use those same skills to save himself from a revenge killer. It sounds much better than it is as the true killer turns out to be the lame screenplay that does little with Pacino’s talents - except toss them aside.
Movie Showings Links:
Offical Web Site for '88 Minutes'...
|
 |
Movie Show Home Page
|
