2:22
Inception Media
Cast: Mick Rossi, Robert Miano
Extras: Theatrical Trailer, Featurette, Photo Gallery
Rating:
'2:22' has been sitting on the shelf for a while. After making rounds on the festival circuit, the film finds itself settling down on DVD and Blu-ray to find an audience. It is a heist/thriller that centers around four thieves and their plan to rob a hotel on New Year's Eve. Lead by Gulliver Mercer (Mick Rossi), the men quickly realize that the graveyard shift has a few unexpected surprises that alter their plans, and their lives, in ways that nobody anticipated. The relative unknown leads are supported by minor appearances from Val Kilmer and an uncredited Gabriel Byrne.
Think of a blind date. There is a thrill that comes from not knowing what to expect. A nervous energy that one hopes is complimented by an exciting outcome. Don't rule out the chance that the time spent could be the highlight of a lifetime. I had a blind date with '2:22'. When the door was opened, none of those things happened. Instead, I found Frankenstein's monster. There is a slice of heist movie here, some revenge flick over there, and a whole lot of setup without much of a payoff. Most won't get past the first thirty minutes of seemingly random scenes that try to provide character development. The film then shifts into a heist flick. While the change of pace is nice, it is still nowhere near the caliber it needs to be. The personality of 'Ocean's 11' isn't there. The diverse characters of 'Grand Slam' are missing. The ultra cool vibe of 'Reservoir Dogs' is absent. Instead viewers are left with the only hook in the movie – 2:22 is when the heist starts. No more, no less. Of course the heist has its share of X-factors, some of which obviously setup where the movie is headed. With quite a bit of runtime left after the heist is complete, the revenge flick begins. Unfortunately, there is no side to cheer for. The bad guys have paper thin character development and the other bad guys are just plain boring. The plot is moved forward with circumstance. Characters somehow find themselves in the wrong place with the wrong company. This blind date didn't end with a goodnight kiss. The disc was ejected and replaced with some music and the hope that my next cinema date dresses a little nicer and has better stories to tell.
The 1.85:1 transfer is less than thrilling. The film seems to have some low budget roots and this is apparent throughout the film. Some scenes suffer from an odd green tint while others are oversaturated and washed out. There are times where the lighting isn't right which minimizes the detail during some of the darker scenes. Fortunately, there is never a point when the onscreen activities are a mystery, but these technical downfalls do hinder the presentation. Inception Media isn't to blame for the lackluster picture quality, these issues came during production.
The English Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack was average. The front field seemed a bit quiet overall and was missing the pop that usually accompanies action movies. The dialogue was clear, but a bit soft. The music and sound effects would benefit from a 5.1 upgrade. Action movies are supposed to be loud and proud. '2:22' comes off like the shy kid in the back of the classroom.
My screener copy only had the theatrical trailer attached to it. The final product should also have the 'Making of 2:22' featurette and a photo gallery.
I hate to watch a movie and then beat up on it, but sometimes that's just how it goes. '2:22' lacks the identity and cohesiveness that the heist genre is known for. With a less than impressive presentation this DVD becomes hard to even recommend as a rental.
