88 Minutes is another serial killer film that has too many red herrings, is poorly scripted and full of suggestive shots by the director. By this I mean after the first ten minutes you already have a good idea of who the main suspects might be. Even though the plot developments are lagging behind. 88 Minutes thinks it is clever, when in reality its a very predictable 'who done it'. Pacino is the only reason to watch this film. Sadly showing his customary tenacity that puts the rest of the cast to shame.
Surprising to see Al Pacino in this rather second rate thriller, although his performance as an FBI psychiatrist trying to catch a serial killer was good. There is some poor acting from the rest of the cast and everything seems a bit wooden. The plot twists and turns and there is plenty to keep you guessing but the second rate performances meant I didn't really care about the characters. Shot in Seattle, which makes a change from the usual settings.
There are a lot of police corruption thrillers which makes it difficult to see this for the cracking film that it is. Al Pacino is awesome. There are a hundred red herrings each as likely as the next, but I found that made the plot tick along quickly. The plot is so thick you can either concentrate or let it take you along in a maelstrom of madness.