88 Minutes DVD: Review By Shelley

I read some of the reviews for this film awhile back and put off watching the movie because there really was not a complimentary one in the bunch. But I decided to finally give this one a chance because I am a fan of Pacino.

This is one of those films that is good only because of the main actor; in this case it is Al Pacino. Without Pacino this would have been a boring ‘made for television’ type movie, one that you would expect to see on a cable channel such as USA. This begs the question, why was Al Pacino involved in the film in the first place. I would not say it is a terrible film; however it is not the type we have come to expect with Pacino in the lead. You get the feeling while you are watching the movie that Pacino could really care less. We do not get to see his energy or passion like he displayed in Scarface or Scent of a Woman. Not that he did a bad job, he just lacks enthusiasm. None of the other performances in the film are noteworthy and most are just as passionless as Pacino. Amy Brenneman, Neal McDonough and William Forsythe are ok, but obviously took their parts for one thing, a paycheck.

The film surrounds the life of a successful, renowned forensic psychologist (Al Pacino) who is a professor at a local college and works with the FBI. As things progress, he must use his ‘talents’ to save his own life. Very early on you begin to think, ‘If he is so smart, what is taking him so long to figure everything out?’. He is surrounded by possible suspects who are all his students. This to me borders upon the ridiculous. If he this brilliant teacher, how could a student manipulate him? There is also this guy that is constantly just standing around. Stephen Moyer (True Blood) has one line, otherwise he is just there. You would think Dr. Gramm would pick up on the fact that this guy has been watching him. There are many more plot holes and inconsistencies, but regardless of the fact I do not care for the film, I do not want to ruin it for those who may want to check it out.

The movie itself is devoid of any thrills and has very little mystery. It begins half way decent, begins to build, falls flat and has an unsatisfying end because of its predictability. The fact that the movie only made $16 million at the box office is a pretty good indicator that it is not a great film. I do not necessarily blame the actors, but blame bad direction, editing and subpar writing. The photography is fine and obviously in high definition. The individuals responsible for the hair styles on this film should have taken one look at Pacino and realized he is in desperate need of a haircut. It is so poufy at times that it is distracting. I do have to mention that Al Pacino seems to be in great shape for his age, 68 when the film was released, because he does a lot of running in the film and it does not seem to bother him in the least.

I do not recommend this film, but if you are looking for something to watch late one night and cannot find anything else on, check this one out. One viewing will probably be enough, but at least you will have seen it.

Thanks for reading.