44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout ---- **1/2 (out of 5) (2003)
Cast: Michael Madsen, Ron Livingston, Mario Van Peebles, Andrew Bryniarski, Oleg Taktarov
Director(s): Yves Simoneau
Screenwriter(s): N/A
Released on cable: June 1, 2003
Reviewed on: January 21, 2004
Rated: N/A (probably PG-13)
To start off the story, we are introduced to the lives of several cops in the LAPD. One man kisses his pregnant wife goodbye before leaving to work, another is seen praying, and another mourns for the loss of his honorable father. Meanwhile, two robbers covered in body armor and heavily armed with assault rifles head to the Bank of America in North Hollywood, where they plan to hijack and rob a Brinx truck. When the plan backfires, the robbers decide to do the bank instead. After robbing hundreds of thousands of dollars, cops are already on the scene. As the robbers exit the bank, they drop the money and begin a fierce shootout with the LA police department. Chaos ensues.
44 MINUTES is a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the events that occurred in Los Angeles on the morning of February 28, 1997. It was considered one of the worst police shootouts in US history, and most have probably seen it on a cop show at one time or another. It was remembered because of how outgunned the police were with their 9mm handguns against the AK-47's of the robbers. The shootout lasted for a terrifying 44 minutes, and many officers were awarded medals of valor for their courage.
Unfortunately, as much as I learned from the film and how I was impressed with the way it was made, I must state that, as a movie itself, it's not the best of films. In fact, if it weren't for the true story that it's based upon, I wouldn't really have been all that entertained. The first 41 minutes is just plot buildup, which is especially dull, but most people will wait through it until the final 44 minutes, which is true to the length of the actual shootout back in 1997. As the scene with the gunfire began, I kept my expectations low because, after all, if you plan to keep the shootout true to time and the movie accurate to the actual events that occurred, not a lot is going to be too exciting for the casual movie-goer. Gunfire is exchanged back and forth, bloody images of officers and civilians getting shot are shown, and police cruisers are pummelled relentlessly with armor-piercing bullets. That sums up the final 44 minutes of the film for the most part.
The climax of THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD SHOOTOUT will probably satisfy most because, despite the seemingly neverending shootout, the climax of the actual event six years ago was exciting. It certainly does fit well for a good action flick. However, you'll probably get more enrichment from reading a few articles on the subject material or watching footage on a cop show or a website. Nevertheless, 44 MINUTES deserves credit for the effort that was given towards symbolizing the events of February 28.
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