Make no mistake about it. "Two Minute Warning" is a dumb film with a big cast of actors who either should have known better or needed the money.
The... ahem.... "story" is well known. A sniper in a football stadium on Championship Game Day. That's it. We get introduced to the characters (gambler, father, pickpocket, etc) and then wait to see which of them will be killed. Director Larry Peerce uses the sickening transition device of re-introducing his characters by showing them in the scope of the sniper's rifle. Wouldn't you think with 91,000 people in the stadium he might set his sights on more then the half dozen supporting actors? It's cheap and contrived.
Let's talk a little about the sniper. We never find out anything about him or his motives. Why does he kill the bicyclist at the beginning? Perhaps as target practice before the big game? Your guess is as good as mine. And why does he pick the championship game to go to? Your explanation would be as believable as mine since the filmmakers choose not to tell us (well they do hint that the President is going to attend but that plot point is quickly forgotten). And why does he wait until the two minute warning to open fire when he has been ready and waiting for hours beforehand? Because of the contrivance of the script. How else could they introduce Charlton Heston as the police captain and John Cassavettes(?) as a S.W.A.T. commander? (Incidentally I hope Cassavettes used his salary to help finance one of his own films).
The whole movie is ridiculous. Basically we sit and wait to see who will live and who will die. As other astute viewers have mentioned in their reviews the dialogue is equally as bad as the story and acting. My favorite moments is near the end when Heston is talking to a wounded Cassavettes and suggests he go to the hospital. Cassavettes (despite bleeding from the arm from a gunshot wound) claims he is OK to which Heston responds "Come on. Don't be a hero."
The... ahem.... "story" is well known. A sniper in a football stadium on Championship Game Day. That's it. We get introduced to the characters (gambler, father, pickpocket, etc) and then wait to see which of them will be killed. Director Larry Peerce uses the sickening transition device of re-introducing his characters by showing them in the scope of the sniper's rifle. Wouldn't you think with 91,000 people in the stadium he might set his sights on more then the half dozen supporting actors? It's cheap and contrived.
Let's talk a little about the sniper. We never find out anything about him or his motives. Why does he kill the bicyclist at the beginning? Perhaps as target practice before the big game? Your guess is as good as mine. And why does he pick the championship game to go to? Your explanation would be as believable as mine since the filmmakers choose not to tell us (well they do hint that the President is going to attend but that plot point is quickly forgotten). And why does he wait until the two minute warning to open fire when he has been ready and waiting for hours beforehand? Because of the contrivance of the script. How else could they introduce Charlton Heston as the police captain and John Cassavettes(?) as a S.W.A.T. commander? (Incidentally I hope Cassavettes used his salary to help finance one of his own films).
The whole movie is ridiculous. Basically we sit and wait to see who will live and who will die. As other astute viewers have mentioned in their reviews the dialogue is equally as bad as the story and acting. My favorite moments is near the end when Heston is talking to a wounded Cassavettes and suggests he go to the hospital. Cassavettes (despite bleeding from the arm from a gunshot wound) claims he is OK to which Heston responds "Come on. Don't be a hero."