Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Famed forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after profilers around. His expert testimony has resulted in the conviction of many criminals, including serial killer Jon Forster. On the eve of Forster's execution, one of Gramm's students is murdered in a vicious copycat crime, and Gramm himself receives an ominous message informing him that he has less than 90 minutes to live.
88 Minutes is a formulaic thriller that squanders its real-time gimmick on a convoluted, implausible plot full of red herrings that go nowhere satisfying. Pacino, clearly on autopilot, delivers a flat performance beneath his usual caliber, and the supporting cast fares no better. The Seattle cinematography is competent but unremarkable, offering nothing visually distinctive. The real-time conceit had been done better elsewhere, and the film adds little to the serial-killer thriller genre. The climax and reveal are telegraphed and anticlimactic, failing to deliver the tension the premise promised. A middling effort across every dimension.