96 Minutes

Plot

The film is set against 96 minutes in one night. The events of the night unfold in real time and the film intercuts the beginning and the end of that day. It follows four separate stories and the seemingly innocuous decisions that lead them towards a terrifying and life changing conclusion.

At first we see the four main characters: Karley, Lena, Kevin and Dre begin their day. Lena wakes up next to her boyfriend and they have a brief conversation about where he is going and what he will be doing for the day. From the tone of their conversation it appears that Lena does not trust her boyfriend. After a few minutes he leaves and Lena, left alone in the room decides to check his cell phone. She spots a text from another girl and in a fit of anger throws the phone against a wall.

Next we are introduced to Dre and Kevin. Dre is in a classroom where he receives a test back from his teacher. Dre has received a passing grade and his teacher informs him that he can now graduate. Kevin is shown to be a troubled 16-year-old with anger issues. It is shown that he is a product of an abusive home and these episodes of violence have led to Kevin becoming aggressive. Seeking an out, he attempts to join a gang in his local neighborhood. However, the leader JJ, declines his request. JJ offers him membership on the condition that he steals his "daddy's" car. This infuriates Kevin as he does not consider his "daddy" as his father.

The film moves to Karley who is on the phone with her father who she is trying to convince to come to her graduation. The audience only hears one side of the conversation and from Karley's reaction it seems that her father has a meeting in Tokyo that conflicts with her graduation. She attempts to tell her father that she will only graduate once and that it would be important for her if he attended. There is a brief mention of Karley attending law school in the future but her father is unable to make her graduation and when the call ends Karley is seen to be upset at the outcome.

Lena comes to the school and sees her boyfriend hanging out with another girl and quickly leaves and goes to her car. She is so distraught that she shifts her car in to "drive" instead of "reverse" which leads to her hitting a tree right in front of her. Her friend comes out and comforts her, they make plans to have a "girls night out". The time shifts to the present where Kevin and Dre are driving in a stolen car with Lena and Karley held against their will in the back of the car. It's clear that Lena has been injured and Karley pleads with her captors to take Lena to the hospital as she is losing a lot of blood. Kevin responds with hostility to the suggestion and telling Dre that they should let Lena die. Dre for his part is visibly upset at Kevin and blames him for shooting Lena. Kevin in turn attempts to blame his actions on Lena. He turns on gangster rap style music which Dre in turn switches of. Dre goes on to tell Kevin that he is an idiot for escalating the situation.

Karley spots an opportunity for escape and using Lena's blood writes the word help on the car's window. Kevin spots her attempts and scolds Karley. Dre stops the car at a gas station so they can grab some food. Kevin gets angered by a stray comment from the shopkeeper ("cool down my son") and shoots the man dead.

The film flashes back to how Kevin and Dre got the car. The two men spot Karley and Lena chatting with each other in the alley where Karley's car is parked. Kevin thinks that by stealing a car he will be allowed join JJ's gang. He attacks Karley and Lena in order to steal Karley's car. When Lena fights back, Kevin panickedly shoots her. Dre and Kevin steal the car and force the two girls into the back. The film returns to the present where Dre stops the car in a tunnel and gets out. He considers executing both Karley and Lena but decides against it. But as Dre diverts his attention, Karley attempts to escape only to be shot by Kevin. Kevin and Dre get back in the car and drive off, leaving Karley and Lena for dead.

Karley, wounded, manages to get to a main road, where she is spotted and admitted to hospital. It is shown that it has been about 96 minutes from the time they left the restaurant. While Karley is rescued, Lena is left behind and dies alone in the tunnel.

The film shows that a few days later Dre was arrested while Kevin committed suicide. Karley visits the jail to talk with Dre and as their meeting ends, she decides that she cannot forgive him for his involvement.

Cast

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 47% based on reviews from 17 critics.

Joe Leydon of Variety gave the film a positive review, noting that it "maintains a brisk pace and generates a satisfying degree of suspense" and that it "boasts strong performances by well-cast up-and-comers".