Customer Reviews

Two Minute Warning [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Filmed in and around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, this often absurd but always entertaining thriller will be enjoyed by those like me who have an affection for '70s action/disaster movies like "Airport", and the many that followed it.
This like the other films follows the usual formula in the first half by giving us a glimpse into the lives of the participants, which the net of fate reels in for the grand finale, and Charlton Heston and John Cassavetes have a slew of excellent actors to back them in these many parts, like Martin Balsam, Beau Bridges, Gena Rowlands, and even Walter Pidgeon as a pickpocket.

The plot starts with an unidentified sniper killing a cyclist from a hotel window, and then moving to a rooftop location in the stadium, where a championship football game will be played to a sold-out crowd. One of the more realistic parts of the film is how the screaming, cheering crowd is oblivious of what is happening around them (some of it amusing if one has a dark sense of humor), as I'm sure would be the case if this event occurred in real life.

In our age of terrorism as the "war of our time", films like this spark the imagination, and make one wonder how this sort of situation would be dealt with in a crowded stadium; there's no doubt that chaos and mayhem would be the inevitable result.
Another interesting aspect is how times have changed in 30 years as far as security for the president and other officials; in the last few decades, one of the things that has changed the most in the world is the size of its governments, and films like this bring that fact into sharp focus.

Fantastic cinematography by Gerald Hirschfeld in the last part of the film, a score by Charles Fox that adds to the tension, and fast-paced direction by Larry Peerce make this a good film for rainy weekends and '70s disaster fans. It received a 1976 Oscar nomination for Best Editing, and total running time is 115 minutes.
DVD extras include Production Notes/Cast & Filmmaker's Bios/Film Highlights/Theatrical Trailer/ Web Links.

It only takes one sniper to cause mayhem at a jam-packed Los Angeles Coliseum in this terribly underrated film that was wrongly tagged as an assembly-line disaster pic or a violent big-budget exploitation film. TWO-MINUTE WARNING gets good performances from leading actors Charlton Heston, Martin Balsam, and John Cassavetes in this well-made suspense thriller of police forces trying to stop a mysterious psychotic sniper from shhoting into a crowd of between ninety and one hundred thousand at a championship football game in the Coliseum. The film concludes with a horrible stampede of panic and horror that has all too accurately been repeated in real life in European soccer violence.

Although it has certain melodramatic elements and an all-star lineup (Brock Peters, Gena Rowland, David Janssen, Jack Klugman, etc.), TWO-MINUTE WARNING mostly avoids the pratfalls common to the disaster genre. And the climax, while indisputably violent (earning the film its 'R' rating) is never strictly speaking an overt case of blood and gore. And like Steven Spielberg with the psychotic trucker in DUEL, here director Larry Peerce decides to keep the sniper's identity a secret (until the end).

Since TWO-MINUTE WARNING is on both DVD and VHS, there is now no longer any need to see the butchered, watered-down version that ended up on television. It is in the original director's version that this film should be seen; it is well worth it.

I was recently trying to recall some of the better disaster movies that came out of the Sixties and Seventies. Two that stood out in my mind was "Black Sunday" and I couldn't recall the name of the other but I recalled a sniper shooting people at a championship football game and S.W.A.T. trying to stop him. I was interested enough in tracking it down that I went to imdb.com and did a search on the word sniper in the plots. When I saw the title "Two Minute Warning" more started to come back to me. The cast is good, but not all of them do much more than cameos. But some performances are quite good, like that of John Cassavetes. The tension, camerawork, and music are excellent. It is intense watching the S.W.A.T team try to stop the sniper without starting a panic at the stadium. Although they eventually get the sniper, he racks up a sizeable body count, especially once the stampede of people try to exit the stadium. I couldn't help thinking of cattle when I saw it. This may not be up to some movies of today, but it is still well worth owning. I recommend it to anyone that likes action movies, especially police related. The movie was popular enough at the time to help bring about the S.W.A.T. TV series.

This is an interesting movie, especially in light of what's happened in this country over the last 30+ years.

Filmed in and around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1976. Very low tech by todays standards, but that is part of the appeal. It's always fun to see the old cars, fashions and technology.

There is a long list of stars, as with most movies of this era: Charlton Heston, John Cassavetes,Martin Balsam, Beau Bridges, Gena Rowlands, and even Walter Pidgeon as a pickpocket.

The plot revolves around an unidentified sniper during a championship football game with a sold-out crowd. Unfortunately, you never learn his identity, his target or his motivation.

There are some terrible lines in this movie. The acting is fair to good. The best scene was near the end, when the police are shooting it out with the sniper, and the television crews are watching it all from their trailer.

Overall it's a fair movie that's intersting as a snapshot of our culture during the 70's.

It's Super Bowl Sunday at the Los Angeles Coliseum and there is a sniper ready to shoot. This movie has an all-star cast: Charlton Heston, John Cassavetes and his wife, actress Gena Rowlands, Martin Balsam, Beau Bridges, Marilyn Hassett, David Janssen, Jack Klugman, Walter Pidgeon, David Groh, Pamela Bellwood, Ron Sheldon and many more. The sniper is ready to shoot at one person sitting in the stadium. (Which Hollywood star will be the one he shoots?) Watch the film to know the secret. Who is the sniper? When will he shoot? Who will he shoot? All these secrets will be revealed as the suspense builds. This DVD version is the original theatrical version. This is not the NBC Network version were 63 minutes of new footage was added and the sniper storyline changed. NBC also cut out some of the shooting. This original version on DVD may be okay to watch three hours before the real Super Bowl Football game in January.

This 1976 release is hugely suspenseful and very realistic indeed, largely due to the photography(the stadium footage works a treat!), direction and good strong cast of familiar faces. Charlton Heston plays Captain Pete Holly, a hard-boiled cop whose initial investigation of a random shooting(seen at the start) leads him to a championship football game at the LA Coliseum - a sniper is perched above the scoreboard! When the time comes, the sniper will kill a target - or several? WHo is he after? In the crowd are a noisy family(DYNASTY's PAmela Bellwood is the mom, Beau Bridges is the dad and sniper witness brutalised by over-zealous cops and there are two mischievous brats!), a gambler facing loan sharks(QUINCY's Jack Klugman) and prayers from a priest sitting next to him for LA to win! Add to that the President visiting at half time, a pickpocket(Walter Pidgeon), and the TV crews being commandeered by SWAT captain JOHN CASSAVETES and keeping it quiet from the public, and you have a killer of a movie(no pun intended) which will have you hooked from beginning to end. The original 115 minute cinema release is the best way to see this classic - forget the awful network TV doctored version which in my view ruined a great story. THe pace moves along well and there are moments which will genuinely give you mild shocks or two! Overall, a superb thriller and a movie which explores the theme of random killing quite well, especially in the wake of recent real-life massacres such as Dunblane and Hungerford in the UK. One could also say that the climax might have inspired Jean-Claude Van Damme's similarly superb SUDDEN DEATH. which came about 21 years later. Recommended.

Director Larry Peerce masterfully directs "Two-Minute Warning", a thriller that successfully juxtaposes competing story threads; a gut-wrenching football championship game, a sniper perched atop the stadium scoreboard, the crowd atmospherics, and the police tactical operation to intercept the sniper. Peerce is abetted by great camerawork and brilliant editing. There are varied subplots involving the games spectators but they are merely filler. It is debatable as to whether this film is exploitative and could be the impetus for some copycat. As for myself, I am not certain. I am certain that "Two-Minute Warning" is thrilling entertainment.

What is there not to like about this film? Merv Griffin sings the national anthem, Joe Kapp shows why his acting career went nowhere, Howard Cosell with the play by play.TWO MINUTE WARNING was released during the decline of the disaster film craze and the start of America's (at the moment) fascination with S.W.A.T. (the TV show, 2 classic episodes of POLICE STORY, the SLA Gunfight). As a disaster film, TMW is mislabled and unfairly bashed. TMW is a mover, there are few slow spots. As a S.W.A.T tutorial, it's great. John Cassavettes as Sgt. Chris Button, is dogged, sullen, realistic. When he arrives in the sea green AMC Matador, it's a minor highlight. I would have gladly suited up and followed him and the platoon into the kill zone.

The teaming of Charlton Heston and John Cassavetes seems about as unlikely a cinematic match as one could imagine. So it comes as a terrific surprise when watching "Two Minute Warning" to see these practically opposite veterans working together so well.

We've seen Mr. Heston tread through such territory before ("Earthquake," "Airport 1975," "Gray Lady Down"), but Cassavetes as an especially intense SWAT team leader provides a unique presence that raises the level of this disaster/thriller several notches. There is practically smoke flaring from his nostrils as he puts his comrades into position to stop a sniper dangerously perched above the scoreboard at the Super Bowl.

The sight of Heston and Cassavetes staring each other down in a match of wills (Chuck is a veteran Los Angeles policeman who seems to love knit ties) would almost be comic if not for the intensity both actors bring to the table. These scenes are some of the strongest in the film.

"Two Minute Warning" has been conveniently placed into the "Disaster" genre of the 1970s for a number of reasons. Mainly the large cast of supporting players (Martin Balsam, Gena Rowlands, Jack Klugman, Beau Bridges, David Janssen) and the eventual riot at the Super Bowl which does indeed lead to a disaster of epic proportions. But calling "Two Minute Warning" a simple disaster film is not entirely correct.

What makes "Two Minute Warning" stand apart from this specific genre is the uncomfortable realization most viewers will encounter while watching the violent proceedings play out. For better or for worse, snipers do exist in our society. Acts of random violence are commonplace. Innocent bystanders catch stray bullets in the streets of our cities often.

What happens in "Two Minute Warning" has happened before and will definitely happen again. In fact, this film has now taken on an entirely new meaning with the recent terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

(...)

"Two Minute Warning" is extremely watchable due to a glittering cast, taut direction (Larry Peerce) and what-is-becoming a timeless screenplay. But such a guilty pleasure will cause the viewer to feel just that. Guilty. It hits too close to home.

Although "Two-Minute Warning" is still an entertaining movie about a "situation" developing, when a madman prepares to shoot people in a stadium, the movie has some holes in it.

I won't spend too many words about its transfer on DVD, which is standard, but could have been taken better care of.

The holes I mentioned before, are mainly referred to the characters involved in this movie.

Except for some very general hints on who they all are, there is practically no "in-depth" character study whatsoever.
All the characters could have been taken form the street and assembled together at random.
We know nothing about them, except for the rather obvious.

The movie at one point, even goes so far, as to almost become a training documentary, or even a promotional spot for the S.W.A.T.

We never get to truly understand who the heck the "madman" is or wants, or for this matter, what triggered him to such an action.
There is no way to either truly sympathize for his own personal ordeal that pushes him to such folly, nor to really hate him for it.

All we get of him, are very general shots form afar, or seen "through his eyes", but we can't even "hear" his thoughts that might go through his mind at that moment.

While in "Dirty Harry", Andrew Robinson, as the Scorpio Killer, made us love to hate him, for all the obvious reasons, and also because we get to "know" him, in this picture, there seems to be no need to get to know the guy and therefore, we cannot decide what to think about it all.

As with the characters played by Charlton Heston and John Cassavetes, two otherwise very talented actors, we absolutely have no true idea from what kind of a background they stem from, and therefore they are just standing there, wooden, watching and studying.

Also, even though we know that the shooter will at one point or another, take aim and shoot some people, the entire process that leads to the final moment in which it happens, is so dragged by the feet, that when it happens, no one is truly surprised nor really concerned with it anymore.

The poor Jack Klugman (the famous Oscar Madison of TVs "The Odd Couple" and "Quincy"), in one of his last roles, is totally wasted here, delivering very shallow lines and almost reprising a role, similar to the one he played in "The Odd Couple", only a bit more dramatic.

Even Martin Balsam ("The Anderson Tapes", "The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three" and "Murder on the Orient Express"), Brock Peters, Gena Rowlands (watch her in "Gloria"), David Janssen, Walter Pidgeon and Beau Bridges don't manage to save the day in this picture.

This is not a movie I can truly recommend, except maybe, just to compare it in scope to "Black Sunday", which is by far more entertaining and original in its development.

These two pictures watched back-to-back, would make for an interesting case study on how to produce, and not to produce a good movie.