11:14 DVD > Reviews > Slick, intricate and clever crime thriller

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Snappy editing, great acting
Disadvantages:	None I can think of

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I would expect that the majority of people will not have heard of 11:14, a film structured in a similar way to the smash hit Closer, with the use of different perspectives to tell a very intricate and compelling story. For a rather little known film with an unknown director, 11:14 has a number of quality actors, including Oscar winner Hilary Swank and Dirty Dancing's Patrick Swayze among others. This is a very clever film and well worth watching; the jigsaw style presentation brings the story alive, with the extremely satisfying ending tying up all the loose ends. For a crime thriller such as this there is also a large amount of comedy, a lot of it unintentional. This is a film where you won't feel short changed.

The basic premise of the film is this; five seemingly random incidents occuring around the same time (11:14pm) are actually interlinked with one another. A drunk driver hits a man on a road near a bridge; three young men hit a woman with a van; a young man robs a convenience store; a man finds a body in a cemetery; and a young pregnant woman tries to raise money for an abortion. On the surface all these stories appear to be separate from one another, but as the film unfolds the different pieces of jigsaw start to fit together into a startling and unexpected conclusion.

Although slightly confusing during the opening twenty minutes or so the jigsaw style plot keeps you guessing throughout, as you try to guess how these seemingly random incidents fit together. The whole film is set during the night, fitting the mood of a film dealing with the issues of murder, deceit, secrets and lies. The main protagonist is Cheri, played by the promising Rachael Leigh Cook, an extremely selfish character decieving not one but two of the main characters for her own personal gain. The bad decisions that she makes during the film make for great entertainment, even if she is a very hateful character.

Both Hilary Swank and Patrick Swayze give solid performances as peripheral characters still essential to the overall plot. Also good is Barbara Hershey as Patrick Swayze's on-screen wife, even if she is underused. Although the performances are good what makes the film great is the direction and editing from young director Greg Marcks, who pieces the film together in such an entertaining and clever way its hard not to like it. Each of the random events occuring at the start of the film fits together neatly with the other, with no plot holes left over as the film ends.

If you've ever seen the final third of Jackie Brown, in which different angles and perspectives are used to tell the same event, then this film is exactly that, albeit an extended version. The snappy editing and solid acting helps to bring an already promising story alive, making this a very enjoyable watch. More than anything this film should be seen as a black comedy on a par with Pulp Fiction, because it really is genuinely funny. All five stories are meticulously and ingeniously constructed, making the film a heart-stopping and bone-breaking 90 minutes of cinema.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

DVD Extras:

Sadly the DVD extras don't live up to the main film. Basically an interactive menu is the highlight. Shame, there must have been loads of deleted/extended scenes that could have been put in.  

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11:14