Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Aggielife

Like any good psycho-thriller, the movie plays out in such a way as to keep the audience involved. After all, half the fun of a mystery thriller is trying to figure it out before the film reveals the answers. Having said that, "88 Minutes" manages to keep some of its secrets well under wraps, while it does not preserve others as well. It's likely that many in the audience will figure out who the bad guy is long before the credits roll. It is equally possible the rest of the audience will be thoroughly impressed with a surprise ending.

While other thrillers rely solely on a jarring score or images of carnage to stimulate the audience, "88 Minutes" makes use of a variety of cinematic devices to hold the viewer's attention. That is not to say the film, at times, is without a boisterous soundtrack or its fair share of blood. Quite the contrary: the opening scene, in which the Seattle Slayer claims another victim, is quite unnerving. The movie manages to hold the audience in its grip until the end. That's about all a mid-range psycho-thriller usually attempts to do, so that makes "88 Minutes" a success.

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