Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Directed by: Jay Martin
Starring: Jason Ritter, Leven Rambin, Luke Mitchell
Written by: Jay Martin
Synopsis: Three high school friends commit a robbery in order to change their lives.
Writer and director Jay Martin was onto something when he came up with the 7 Minutes script, only that he must have gotten too tired to write a decent ending.
7 Minutes (Available September 1 on Blu-ray & DVD) is about three longtime friends that have fallen on harsh times in their lives. What’s the best way to get their life back on track to support their loved ones and get out of their miserable situations – rob a local bank. Sam (Luke Mitchell), a former high school standout quarterback that had it all, a pretty cheerleader girlfriend, a scholarship, and a promising future. It all came crashing down when he blows his knee out.
Forward a few years later, Sam is jobless, living with his girlfriend Kate (Leven Rambin) that’s about to give birth and supporting the family. Mike (Jason Ritter) is Sam’s brother whose also fallen on harsh times and trying to support his family. Rounding out the group is Owen (Zane Holtz), Sam’s friend who just got released from prison. The three buddies decide in order to change their lives and help out their loved ones, they must do something dramatic.
Strategies for the heist
Things start spiraling out of control when a drug deal screw up forces the guys to pay back the lost money to the drug dealer. The guys decide to rob a bank to retrieve the lost money.
The movie has a clever take on a heist concept that’s been played out many times before in cinema. The direction Jay Martin took in telling the story worked. Martin chose to convey the plot through a series of flashbacks. Each character has their own take on the events that are transpiring. What turns out is a fresh look at each individuals version of what is going on, depicting their needs and reasons for putting themselves in this situation. The individual character perspectives give the movie a fresh feel from scene to scene.
The heist takes place over a span of 7 minutes, which is somewhat realistic, instead of dragging it out through 90 minutes. The individual stories of each character are far more interesting than the heist itself. The movie succeeds and keeps the action flowing, even though there isn’t much going on in the scenes where the buildup of the crime is taking place. That’s the good part. While the movie is interesting for three quarters, it’s the final act that falls flat. This is one of those frustrating moments for the viewer, where you enjoy a movie and wait for the resolution, only to be left shaking your head at what you are witnessing.
Not Jason Vorhees, but a robbery instead
What is frustrating about the last 15 minutes is that things get off the rail. A seemingly realistic movie becomes cartoonish. The action doesn’t match up to the entire buildup and the way it was projected. A drama turned action flick in the last 15 minutes is what makes a clever and interesting movie turn into a bit of a farce.
7 Minutes almost was a really good movie, the unnecessary action hero sequences put a dent in the entire construction of the story. For the most part Martin did a solid job telling a straightforward story that made you believe it could have been based on a true story, the Hollywood ending damages his good work he put in the previous 75 minutes. 7 Minutes shorter would have made this movie 7 times better.
Additional Thoughts: This movie had me hooked three quarters of the way, until the disappointing ending. It’s like blowing a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter of a Game 7 in the playoffs. That’s the sort of feeling I had after the end credits started rolling. One thing that stood out to me was the casting of Jason Ritter as Mike. He wasn’t the lead in the movie, but Ritter played against type. Ritter, usually known for playing the good guy sidekick in a comedy, goes dark in this role. It was interesting to see him play a sort of a bad guy with an edge, now we know Ritter isn’t a one trick pony and can play a variety of roles. Wish this film stayed true to it’s premise from start to finish, but ultimately it veered off.
Runtime: 92 minutes
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: September 1, 2015
7 Minutes- 6 out of 10!
A Heist Movie That Falls A Bit Short
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