Customer Reviews

2:22

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a fan of heist movies like Heat and Ocean's 11, then 2:22 probably won't impress you. While the film has its rare moments, as well as a solid cast, it simply lacks any real spark.

For this being Phillip Guzman's second film as a director, I have to give him credit for doing a decent job. There are some great cinematography moments, and a few clever shots that keep things interesting. Unfortunately, the writing by Guzman and lead actor Mick Rossi is average at best. Pointless subplots, weak attempts at suspense, and ridiculous coincidences are what kept this movie from being shown in theaters.

The marketing for this movie is also questionable. Val "Straight to DVD" Kilmer is prominently featured on the cover, next to a praising review snippet. Which is confusing given that Kilmer, playing a paranoid jeweler, gets exactly four minutes of screen time in this entire movie. Gabriel Byrne (Usual Suspects) has a "blink and you missed him" role. No one on the cast stands out, save for Robert Miano, best remembered as Sonny Red from Donnie Brasco. The most seasoned actor in the film, Miano has more than a few great scene-stealing moments. I was also surprised by newbie actress Sandy Duarte, one of the most gorgeous women that I've ever seen in film.

Bottom line, this is a fairly average heist flick. The heist team comes off looking like amateurs, and the film lacked any "edge of your seat" suspense. Give this one a rent before you decide to buy the DVD.

This film isn't action packed, it doesn't have a huge cast of A list actors, what it does have is a lot of heart. This is a film where you get to know the characters in their journey. They aren't good guys but you still care about them and the others entangled in their craft. If you want a film that makes you think while enjoying the crazy story and characters in it then this is the film for you. What little action it does have is awesome, this film feels so real. The rave scene was great too! The ending has one of the most realistic death scenes ever too, just watch for yourself, great film!

I finally got a chance to watch the DVD "2:22" and was very disappointed, first in the extreme violence I was so disgusted when the jerk hit the dog. I hate violence and even more when it is violence against a animal. Then I was shocked that Val Kilmer was on the screen for only a small part of the DVD. I am a Big Fan of Val Kilmer and bought this DVD without knowing to much about it because it seemed Val was starring in it. They should have listed Val as a cameo. I will not recommend this movie to anyone.

Where to start on this stinker?

This is the story of four hardened robbers that decide to do one more heist before going straight. The plot is familiar, hackneyed, and way over done. The big heist, break into the safety deposit boxes in an ultra exclusive expensive hotel. They will get in, get out, and turn the jewels into hard cash. I would guess the unique piece to this standard robbers with a heart of gold, is the amazing thought that there would be incredible riches in a hotel safety deposit box room (or that a hotel would have safety deposit boxes for that matter).

The acting is cardboard. Val Kilmer plays a jeweler fence that has some form of Tourettes syndrome. Long gone are his days of being Jim Morrison. The gang leader, Gulliver, has moments of good acting; he comes off believable at times. However, he frequently lapses into almost reading his lines. The grizzly old wise robber that knew Gulliver's father is straight from television soap operas. At times he is likeable, but mostly he is the standard old guy that can't pull his own weight during the heist. Finn is the schizophrenic member of the crew. This is one of those amazing uneven performances, at times he is totally insane (mostly at the beginning of the film) and at others he is almost normal. Unfortunately the actor, Aaron Gallagher, reminded me of Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow) from Mad About You. The only good performance in this film was, Jorge Jimenez as Gael. His saving grace, he didn't have very many lines.

It was very hard to imagine how anyone could become engaged in this film. Heist movies are built around finding something to like in the thieves. These were four of the most unlikeable characters I've witnessed in a film. The pinnacle was Finn when he is tired of his dog barking, so he just runs him off into the back yard and shoots it. During the heist he supposedly has an epiphany and redeems himself by promising to take his son to the pound and get a new dog. On the way to the pound, the slime bucket makes a stop at a drug dealer with his son in the car. Heist movies are also built around action and intrigue. This film had none of the above. I watched every minute of this film thinking something different would happen, instead it plodded along the normal path of every heist film before it, and there were no surprises. The action was remarkably bad. The ending is flat out predictable. And that final death scene, it was so overplayed and over acted. There was no realism anywhere in this film.

The film is rated R, mostly for violence and strong language. There is a scene in a hotel room of a man in a thong bound and with a ball gag dominated by a guy wearing a black strap on. This is probably not a film that anyone younger than the R rating should watch. The hour and forty four minute film is about a good forty five minutes too long. The director chose to add the horribly annoying normal speed / slow motion effect towards the end of the film. Editing was uneven. Camera work was at times wonderful and well done, and at others looked like a high school film student shot the footage. Out of focus, shaky-cam, and poorly exposed was a rule of the film. I was also confused a bit by the story line, I seem to recall that this film was supposed to be set in some big US city (the pay phone had an American flag decal on it). It in fact was filmed in downtown Toronto. There are some very recognizable streets in the film.

There is very little to recommend this film. The story is not plausible but predictable, the acting is poor, the camera work is bad, and the film is too long. If you are Val Kilmer collector, I guess this is a film you must own, otherwise avoid this stinker.

I thought the plot could have alot more meat to it - this movie caught my attention because of the title - 2:22 - and i bought soley on that premise - however after viewinging it, i did not find it that interesting at all.