88 Minutes

Year: 2008

Grade: C

Country: USA

Director: Avnet

Review

pacino’s final great film was heat and that’s as evident here as it has been in any film in the 13 years (hard to believe it’s been that long) since that was released. he mails this one in, but i guess that makes sense since he’s practically a geezer at this point and the script/surrounding talent is definitely not up to his usual standard.

the script keeps you guessing to a certain extent because it’s (too) full of red herrings (though i picked the murderer fairly early on). the most interesting part of the film and the script was the role that technology played. a film like this 15 years ago would have unfolded over the course of a week rather than the eponymous time frame. because of cell phones and the internet, though, the film could be squished to a much shorter period of time in a single afternoon. one could write a compelling essay on the role of technology within films. from western films that highlight the role of new weaponry, railroads, telegraph lines, etc. to more recent films that highlight the role of cell phones (88 minutes, cellular) and the internet (the net, untraceable, etc.).

Watched in theater