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Two-Minute Warning (1976)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 12/15, 7/26

TwoMinute
12/15: The concept of using Super Bowl Sunday for an assassination plot came first in Two-Minute Warning before Black Sunday showed up.

Both are equally good, but I think Two-Minute Warning is more suspenseful. What I like is the Charles Whitman type of character who remains nameless and faceless. That being said, it's not important to learn about the sniper's motives but to see how the police handle the matter. Therefore, that's the overriding theme of the film.

Charlton Heston, John Cassavetes, Beau Bridges, and Martin Balsam do enough to keep the pace going, but it's the story that takes the cake which can happen in real life.

All in all, Two-Minute Warning is a solid "what if?" thriller.

7/26: Just fantastic editing which earned Two-Minute Warning an Oscar nomination.

I'm surprised that it was a box-office failure back then. If people wanted a thriller, this was it. With the feel of the disaster genre, the imminent danger is exciting with a bunch of all-stars ready to be picked off one by one. Of course, I wasn't fooled by the team colors; that was Stanford versus USC.

What a great cast, but special award goes to John Cassavetes for being matter-of-factly. He has the best summation at the end which will always be true: "You'll be hearing a lot more about him on television for the next couple of weeks. Where he went to school, his nice mom, his pet dog, his old gym teacher. The body count, and how the cops really didn't have to kill him." Ditto for the mob mentality that caused the horrific stampede.

All in all, Two-Minute Warning succeeds in making terrorism bigger than the championship football game.