The red herrings pile up quickly, but the film moves crisply enough to keep viewers from dwelling on some of the implausibilities in the script. What teacher interrupts his own lecture multiple times to take personal calls on his cell phone? No matter the cell carrier, how likely is it that the phone would have such clear reception both indoors and out? What’s going on with Pacino’s hair? 

Not comfortable with a stock thriller, the makers of 88 Minutes try to give their story a philosophical dimension by suggesting that the story is, at heart, about the consequences of allowing our free will to be compromised. Feeble and clumsy, the related dialogue adds nothing to this uninspired film.

Pacino does a decent job of carrying a film that could have gotten by with an actor of lesser caliber, while the supporting cast of female actors are shown to be either diabolical or easily manipulated. Better are McDonough as the convict with a grudge, and William Forsythe, whose heft and demeanor as a special agent add credence to the story until its over-the-top conclusion.

88 Minutes doesn’t offer much to recommend. Like the Diane Lane thriller Untraceable from earlier this year, it’s a mediocre, at times distasteful thriller that isn’t its lead actor’s finest hour. But like that film, the presence of the star makes the film better than it might have been otherwise.

Questions? Comments? Contact the writer at crosswalkchristian@earthlink.net.

CAUTIONS:

• Language/Profanity:  Lord’s name taken in vain; foul language.
• Drugs/Alcohol:  Wine consumption; a bar scene.
• Sex/Nudity:  Woman in bra and panties, covered by an open robe; man wakes up to see woman, with whom he spent the night, brushing her teeth in the nude; multiple references to lesbianism; a woman is said to have worked for an escort service.
• Violence:  Several scenes of murder victims dangling upside down, with bloodied and bruised faces; victims are shown being terrorized and cut; gun violence; breaking and entering; character is nearly run over twice; a person falls several feet and dies; a car bomb.