11:14

I've been following the press on this film from the moment I first read about it.

I've seen several glowing reviews, most recently in Variety, for this film,the actors and the cannot-be-more-than-fresh-out-of-high-school-himself looking Writer/Director, who shared with the audience that his age was somewhere "in the low two digits."

I've been patiently waiting to see "11:14", finally got to while I was in Toronto!! I was one of several hundred packed like sardines into the theater. Fortunately, I did not have to sit on the floor like the rush ticket holders.

It was unbelievable! A sick and twisted tale(5 tales actually) of coincidence, deceit,small town mentality and good(or bad)intentions gone miserably wrong. Hilary Swank is brilliant as a convenience store worker so afraid to lose her job, she opts to chance suffering tremendous injury over practicing a little common sense. Patrick Swayze utilizes his intensity and tendency towards the dramatic to comedically portray the world's most overprotective Father, while Rachael Leigh Cook's character, Cheri, wreaks havoc on Middelton, Anywhere, USA.

The film opens with a car crash, a botched arrest and a few nasty head injuries that set up the film beautifully. Ben Foster, Colin Hanks and Stark Sands turn an otherwise ordinary joyride through town into the most adolescent, gruesome and completely hysterical adventure. Not for the squeamish.

All five stories are meticulously and ingeniously constructed. I, like my fellow audience members, thoroughly enjoyed every bone-breaking, heart-stopping, could-things-get-any-worse-for-these-poor-middle(ton)-Americans moment. Can't wait to see it in the States.

It is 11:14pm, an accident happens. Different people cross paths on the road, and all of them play their part in the accident. The movie tells us the partial stories of each of the parts involved, how the actions of each of them lead to what happens at the beginning and end of the film. The movie is a presented as a puzzle in which all the pieces are assembled when the film ends. A second frozen in time and dissected for the benefit of the viewer.

This is a dark thrilling movie, full of action, with a great mood and tempo, very engaging and never dull. The movie has no pity with its own characters, all of them depicted as mean, nasty, stupid and/or untruthful, deserving of the drama that unfolds during the night. Just some of the secondary characters are neutral or good.

All actors are OK in their respective roles. Two of them especially shine: Hillary Swank, who really nails her role as red-neck shop attendant, and Rachael Leigh Cook is terrific as the nasty Lolita around which all the story, directly or indirectly, revolves.

The movie is entertaining with a round story that will keep you glued to your chair. Its only problem is the mediocrity of the dialogs, and that the characters have no dramatic depth, but, well, you cannot expect depth from a thriller.

Half an hour or less of one night, two traffic accidents, one severed body part, several crimes or felonies, one silly dog, at least one spectacularly bad decision per character and two deaths make for 90 minutes of pure high-adrenalin fun. And smart fun at that! Of course, it's a bit like, say, Pulp Fiction on Vodka/Red Bull, but hey, I've been rarely entertained so well by other people's fiascoes.

The stories of about a dozen American small-towners intersect at 11:14 one night. Everybody has their own agenda, be it vandalism, fast money, sex, protecting the reputation of their daughter, or just to do their job, and most of them have had too much too drink - which leads to the aforementioned bad decisions. Some great acting (Shawn Hatosy and Patrick Swayze stand out), dynamic camera work and fast pacing keep 11:14 moving and viewers on their toes. And of course, there's always one more twist...

I saw 11:14 pre-release at the Fantasy Filmfest, and it was received very well. If film distributors are just a little smarter than the characters in this film, this should be a smash!

It has often been said that all of our lives are interconnected. Nine people's lives are linked together at the same moment in time, all with life changing results.

This film actually has no plot, but rather details the actions of all of the nine people leading up to that fated moment and shortly after. Interestingly, it is all about the freak timing and some very stupid or cruel choices that people make. Sometimes those ill-thought out actions can have devastating results.

While this film does not fall under the heading of "enjoyable evening of entertainment" for me, it is a MUST see film for teenagers and their parents. It is not preachy, but very matter-of-fact blunt. Actions do have reactions, as well as consequences. There is also a difference between "harmless fun" and "stupidly dangerous".

11:14 is a decent film you must watch all of to appreciate. Using multiple story lines, a series of lives all come together at 11:14 in a body hits car accident. Good casting and acting help keep your attention as the sometimes mundane lives of all the characters come together one piece at a time over a 24 hour period. While the disjointed stories are simple mini-movies of themselves, it isn't too hard to figure out how they all come together. I like the complexities of movies such as these, but they are not for people who want simple entertainment. You need to watch this uninterrupted and concentrate on the subplots to get the full value.