96 Minutes [Import]

The movie opens with a night time scene of 4 youths riding in a car looking for a hospital because one of the girls is shot in the face. The shooter is also in the car and doesn't want to go to jail. We then flash back to the separate lives of the 4 individuals, in far too typical indie fashion, to see what they were doing that day and how their lives came together.

Carley (Brittany Snow) is a pre-law student who has father issues. She is a driver and wants to graduate with honors. Lena (Christian Serratos) has decided to leave her uncaring boyfriend Michael (Adam Trahan). Dre (Evan Ross) is in college and an escapee from a bad neighborhood. He thinks of himself as being part of the gang, when really he is a good kid. Kevin (Jonathan Michael Trautmann) is a white boy with an abusive home life. He will do anything to join a gang.

The film has good acting and a decent plot. The production seems to be aimed at helping would-be gangstas who are still in school and not old white guys like me. If you like the indie style, give it a view.

F-bomb, no sex, no nudity.

96 Minutes is the story of 4 young people whose lives collide during the course of a carjacking. The acting was top notch and compelling. The story did a great job illustrating the lives of young, poor urban males and why they start off way behind the 8 ball. It comes as no surprise that so many kids growing up in poverty end up in trouble with the law from a very early age.

Anyone who assumes that racism has been eliminated ought to take the time to watch this movie. People of color in urban areas learn young that the deck is stacked against them - the police are not there to protect OR serve them. Most of the people they know &/or love end up dead or in prison before the age of 21. Many young males choose gangs over a community that seems to be very much about exclusion.

Violent acts compel me to ask why. This movie makes a good attempt at bringing these 4 characters to life. I liked knowing the carjackers as real people rather than repulsive, two dimensional monsters cut from boiler plate.

The great thing about films like 96 Minutes is that they lead to reflection. What does it means to be human? Is the failure to stop a murder morally the same as pulling the trigger? Can there be redemption after a terrible act committed at such a young age? Most movies about crime are written to produce the same reaction: rage. We seldom get to peer beyond that to look at a crime from all angles.

"I never should have gotten out of bed this morning." Carley (Snow) is about to graduate from college and her father isn't interested in attending. Lena (Serratos) just found out that her boyfriend is cheating on her. Dre (Ross) just found out that he will be able to graduate high school and finally has found a way out of gang life. Kevin (Trautmann) wants nothing more then to join a gang. When him and Dre get into an argument that ends up in carjacking the car that belongs to Carley with Lena has a passenger. The best way to describe this is "Crash" with teens. Total strangers who are all connected by one event that threatens to ruin all of them. This is very moving, powerful and intense. I highly recommend this one but much like "Crash" it's not really one you can watch over and over. The acting is great and the movie is a mix of flashbacks and current events that really make you feel connected to the characters and find your self sad and angry all at once. Overall, a surprisingly good movie that deserves to be watched. I give it a B+