Two-Minute Warning (1976)

Simply A Masterpiece

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A Masterpiece!

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

It is quite hard to enjoy "Two Minute Warning." I felt I needed a two minute warning before I saw this film! The story of a sniper killing members of the public?? I'd like to kill the bloke who wrote this! The plot is a senseless one and poorly put together. The action doesn't begin properly until about 25 minutes before the end so we have 85 minutes worth of the football crowds roaring themselves silly at the game they are watching and a bunch of actors with little to do. Walter Pidgeon was completely wasted - he didn't have a word of dialogue and was only in a few camera shots. What on earth was the point in having him included in the first place? David Janssen (T.V's Richard Kimble) doesn't look very well in his wasted appearance. He only lived another 4 years after the release of this movie and was becoming largely forgotten. Perhaps his agent could have steered him clear of making rubbish like "Two Minute Warning." Jack Klugman (minus the dead animal on his head) was making his hit television show "Quincy M.E" at the time, so at least he had something of genuine quality to focus on. Charlton Heston only has to show off his He-Man look and you know he shall save the day! Having rather nasty violence thrown into the mixture isn't enough to compensate for a poor story. Someone associated with this film clearly thought that to include repellent details of people being wasted by a mad sniper, was enough to guarantee good box office. Well I'm sorry but that was not the case here! I couldn't have cared less once some of the crowds were being wiped out, good bloody riddance to them. The 1977 Hollywood movie of "Black Sunday" with the one and only Robert Shaw, had a very similar scene involving a football match. However, that latter film has a darn sight more going for it as well as having a good plot and suspense. "Two Minute Warning" may well satisfy your average,cheap thrill-seeker but I look for something a bit more substantial.

I'm not sure why this film is rated so low on IMDb. Maybe it's just considered hip to do so, or it's just people following the crowd.This is actually an excellent thriller! And, what makes it so good is the dispassionate way it goes about its story telling. Its characters are cool in temperament, doing their jobs carefully and surgically, lending a great deal of authenticity to the high concept: A sniper has taken position to fire on unknown patrons at a Super-Bowl-type game.This approach extends to the chilling finale, which you will have to see for yourself. It is impressive and spectacular. And, the ending is unique from a character perspective.The film is made very well, from direction to script to acting. And, the crew does very well too, including cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld, who especially mounts some awesome images in the finale. And, Charles Fox, who comes up with a chilling, dissonant theme of sorts for the sniper, and shows excellent judgment in when to provide score and when to not.This thriller is recommended for those who love taught, realistic, albeit violent, films.********* (9 Out of 10 Stars)

A sniper is spotted perched atop the scoreboard at a super bowl-type NFL event giving police captain Heston and his allies headaches as they attempt to covertly subdue him without risking a massacre of the fans below, oblivious to the impending danger.This is a real sleeper - slow to boil, but when the temperature starts to rise, the tension is palpable and the whole film lifts a notch in all dimensions, from the heart-pounding race to neutralise the threat (SWAT style), to the incidental characterisations deepening (Janssen, Rowlands and Bridges in particular have some strong dramatic scenes).Heston is very restrained, and well supported by the sly Cassavetes, an assured SWAT leader, Balsam as the stadium manager, Klugman as a hopeless gambler, Mitch Ryan as a priest, Janssen and Rowlands as a rocky couple, and even Walter Pidgeon in a virtually mute role as a pick-pocket. Film buffs might also enjoy seeing Robert Ginty, Carmen Argenziano, Harry Northup, Forrest Wood, JA Preston and sexy Brooke Mills in bit parts (among others).Director Peerce's plotting is deceptive; it's a shrewd build-up, just a smattering of clichés and the occasional nonsense, but it can all be forgiven with a climax you won't soon forget. Don't let the sometimes soporific first half deter you from persevering, it's an unorthodox approach, but you'll be rewarded.

An all-star cast led by Charlton Heston with likes of John Cassavetes, Martin Balsam, Beau Bridges, Mitchell Ryan and Jack Klugman feature in this well directed, but thinly written semi-disaster fare that never goes beyond its one-dimensional framework. Its central focus follows that of an unknown sniper planning a massacre at a championship football game at the Los Angeles Coliseum, as the coming and going personal dramas of certain people at the game intertwine. Slow to get going and rather one-note in its dramas never being as interesting as it should have been, but it opens up when the SWAT team enters and the sniper finally let's loose for a thrilling final third. As the joy and excitement of the match transforms into confusion and anxiety, where the stadium turns into a shooting pallor. I've read some people complaining about a lack of a motivation for the killer, but really one wasn't needed and the ambiguous nature only made its frenetic climax more effective. For most part it's a waiting game preying upon the inevitable build-up, even though the authorities know about the sniper they don't want to start a panic of hysteria. So it's a scary idea, exploitatively handled and director Larry Peerce creates a large scale look giving it an intense scope. The performances are stalwart, but no one really makes much of an impression."Lets not get too nervous about it. "