88 Minutes The Movie A Supremely Implausible Thriller
Thrillers are usually formula. There’s a threat, there’s a chase and there’s the finale. The way each one is played out is what makes the difference. If it just follows the formula and there is no uniqueness above it, it doesn’t rise above the cookie cutter level. However, any formula can be made riveting and great when the way the story is told or the way the theme is handled makes it rise to a class of its own.
In 88 minutes, there are two great advantages. Al Pacino and the fact that the story stretches to real time – exactly 88 minutes from the time Jack Gramm the hero gets the threatening call to the time the story ends. What the launch of the movie will bring to the fore is whether these two are enough. Sure, the support cast is great and the movie well filmed. Jon Avnet has done a great job of directing it. But whether everything comes together to form a whole that spells a thriller success is anyone’s guess.
The whole thing about going into a thriller like this is that while it is safe on the one hand because formula is usually safe, there is something that can be too safe. Too safe in this genre could just translate to boring and that is something one would wish to avoid. Let’s face it – while Al Pacino is a wonderful actor, there have been roles where the story has bordered on boredom. Whether an aging star can breathe fresh air into a thriller is anyone’s guess and then again if anyone can do it, probably this actor can. There have been other aging stars who have in the past few years made a very emphatic mark in the movies that have been released.
There has been a bit of criticism by those who have watched the previews and by those who have seen it in other countries where it has been released. The first reviews are not terribly heartwarming – however, there have been a number of movies where the critics lambasted the movie and the viewers have then gone on to give it the thumbs up. It all depends on whether or not the movie makes an impact on the audience. Who knows, we might just have a hit in 88 minutes! And Jack Gramm might just be one more hero to go down in the Hollywood Hall Of Fame. If it does, kudos to Al Pacino.