|
30 Minutes Or Less
| Released |
16 September 2011 |
| Director |
Ruben Fleischer |
Starring
|
Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Michael Pena, Fred Ward |
| Writer(s) |
Michael Diliberti |
Producer(s)
|
Stuart Cornfield, Jeremy Kramer, Ben Stiller |
Origin
|
Germany, Canada, United States |
| Running Time |
83 minutes |
| Genre |
Comedy, action |
| Rating |
15A |
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Delivered on time.
What I expected from 30 Minutes Or Less was silly humour, some fun-filled action and a typical romantic sub-plot that, when mashed together, left you feeling a little limp. What I ended up getting from 30 Minutes Or Less was silly humour, some fun-filled action and a typical romantic sub-plot that, guess what, actually worked!
From the offset this film had your attention. The first scene is so mainstream Hollywood that it could either irk you or engross you and thankfully it invoked the latter. Ruben Fleischer's action-comedy works on so many levels, most notably because it refuses to take itself seriously in any way.
Jesse Eisenberg portrays Nick, a washed up pizza delivery guy who watches in envy as his best friend and love interest grow out of their immature youths and into the real world. Out of his control, layabout Dwayne and his equally delinquent friend Travis orchestrate a plan to murder Dwayne's rich father by kidnapping Nick and forcing him to rob a bank so the masterminds can pay a hitman.
Thereafter, Nick desperately seeks the help of his friend Chet and the duo embark on the task of sourcing $100,000 in ten hours. Oh by the way, Nick has a ticking bomb strapped to his chest. Sound stupid? It is stupid – but for some reason it naturally comes together.
Eisenberg is his usual fidgety, same-toned self and acts his role well but Aziz Ansari as Chet is the star of the movie. Indeed, the on-screen relationship between the pair is pretty seamless while Michael Pena's small part as the hitman provides a few laugh out loud moments.
The best aspect about the film, though, is its pace. Being less than ninety minutes ensures that there are no dull segments– something that is painfully uncomfortable to sit through in an action-comedy. This isn't an Oscar winner or even a Top Tenner in its own genre but it ultimately delivers what you ordered.
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David Caulfield |
