Two-Minute Warning

An all-star cast led by Charlton Heston with likes of John Cassavetes, Martin Balsam, Beau Bridges, Mitchell Ryan and Jack Klugman feature in this well directed, but thinly written semi-disaster fare that never goes beyond its one-dimensional framework. Its central focus follows that of an unknown sniper planning a massacre at a championship football game at the Los Angeles Coliseum, as the coming and going personal dramas of certain people at the game intertwine. Slow to get going and rather one-note in its dramas never being as interesting as it should have been, but it opens up when the SWAT team enters and the sniper finally let's loose for a thrilling final third. As the joy and excitement of the match transforms into confusion and anxiety, where the stadium turns into a shooting pallor. I've read some people complaining about a lack of a motivation for the killer, but really one wasn't needed and the ambiguous nature only made its frenetic climax more effective. For most part it's a waiting game preying upon the inevitable build-up, even though the authorities know about the sniper they don't want to start a panic of hysteria. So it's a scary idea, exploitatively handled and director Larry Peerce creates a large scale look giving it an intense scope. The performances are stalwart, but no one really makes much of an impression.

"Lets not get too nervous about it. "

"Two-Minute Warning" is a good, enjoyable thriller made in the style of the popular "disaster film" cycle of the 1970's, with a large cast of familiar faces, playing characters with their own little stories. Many of them, however, take a back seat to the action in this story (based on a novel by George LaFountaine) about a sniper spotted above the scoreboard in L.A. Coliseum during a championship football game. The cops can't be sure of who this person is targeting, and have to figure out how best to approach the situation. It's only towards the end, in the last half hour, when the action really gets cranked up, the stakes are raised, and things get pretty violent. One nice element of mystery is that we never get that good a look at this sniper (Warren Miller); we learn his name at the end but little else about him (although one of the characters believes that information will come out soon enough). People can take issue with the inefficient security at this place, or the fact that the cops are most often not too effective here, but the movie is basically decently made entertainment, with a very good music score by Charles Fox. Some of the actors get a good showcase: Charlton Heston as take-charge police captain Peter Holly, John Cassavetes as S.W.A.T. team commander Sgt. Button, Martin Balsam as stadium security head Sam McKeever, Beau Bridges as family man Mike Ramsay, Jack Klugman as shameless gambler Sandman, and David Janssen & Gena Rowlands as argumentative couple Steve & Janet. Other familiar faces and prominent character players in the cast include Brock Peters, David Groh, Mitch Ryan, real-life football star Joe Kapp, Robert Ginty, Tom Bower, Carmen Argenziano, Michael Gregory, and Harry Northup. Unfortunately, the great Walter Pidgeon is wasted as an elderly pickpocket. Filmmaker Andy Sidaris ("Stacey", "Malibu Express", etc.) plays the TV director, and TV personality Merv Griffin sings the national anthem! A sufficient amount of tension and excitement is created, the aerial photography is very good, and the visceral quality of the movie is undeniable; things get effectively bloody before the movie ends. There's even a touch of grim irony to the proceedings. The climactic action is both gripping and frightening, showing how bad things can get when a lot of people are in a panic. Overall, this movie is a decent diversion, if not terribly substantial, and keeps from ever getting boring. Seven out of 10.

Thrilling and entertaining disaster movie but full clichés and stereotypes with enjoyable performances from Charlton Heston and John Cassavetes . This catastrophe movie blends action , intrigue , disaster spectacle, suspense and emotional byplay . ¨Two-minute warning¨ was a successful film that grossed at box office . A psychotic sniper wielding a rifle with telescopic sight plans a massacre during a major championship game . The two protagonists , the police Captain Peter Holly (Charlton Heston) and SWAT commander Sergeant Button (John Cassavetes), learn of the plot and spend most of their time devising various ways for avoid to psychopath sniper carries out his aims : a massive killing spree in Los Angeles football stadium filled to capacity . As our heroes get stuck in the stadium before it blows up and when slaughter takes place they go into action ; as they pay tribute to policemen . There takes place a struggle between two forces , the cops and the sinister assassin and ultimately erupts when the crowd turns almost effortlessly and devours itself in a climax of panic .

Exciting film that contains noisy action , unsettling scenes , thrills , emotion and turns out to be pretty entertaining . This formula suspense movie belongs to catastrophe genre of the 70s , being the undisputed king , ¨The towering inferno¨ along with ¨Earthquake¨ , ¨Roller coaster¨ and many others ; this formula disaster movie was widely developed by Irwin Allen , previously winner of numerous Oscars for ¨Poseidon¨ until the failures as ¨Beyond Poseidon¨, ¨Swarm¨ and ¨When the time ran out¨ . ¨Two-minute warning¨ results to be an intriguing and suspenseful film , there was a later version released that had footage not shown in theaters , in the original theatrical version, the sniper's motives were not known. In the later television version, it was revealed that the attack was done to cover an art robbery next door . Filmed at the height of the disaster genre from the 7os , this entry in the spectacular series profits of a strong acting by starring trio Charlton Heston , John Cassavetes and Martin Balsam . Succeeds in combining various talented actors , an all star cast came together that tie for film's top casting honors ; furthermore a top-notch secondary casting such as Gina Rowlands, Beau Bridges , Jack Klugman , Marilyn Hasset , Pamela Bellwood , Mitch Ryan , Brock Peters, David Janssen and Walter Pidgeon as a pickpocket who formerly co-starred in 'Harry in Your Pocket' , a film about pickpocket s. This edgy , paranoid film was deemed too violent to show intact on broadcast television, so they re-wrote the story and added a heist element , the re-written material minimized both the main storyline and the subplots . Colorful and gripping photography in Panavision by Gerard Hirschfeld , including persistent high-angle shots , subjective camera-work and use of long lenses . Intriguing and atmospheric score by Charles Fox . This big-budgeted disaster movie was professionally though coldly directed by Larry Peerce , an usual TV movies director . Rating : Good and entertaining , it's a fairly watchable disaster movie.

A lone gunman has his sights set on a sell-out crowd at a championship football game. Captain Peter Holly leads the desperate fight to try and stop the maniac from picking people off at will. Perched high on top of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the gunman has his pick of the targets, the Mayor -the President - or merely the innocent? Either way he has to be stopped before all hell breaks loose.

Much like "Rollercoaster" a year later, Two-Minute Warning is wrongly lumped in with the disaster movie genre that flooded the 1970s, and just like Rollercoaster, Two-Minute Warning is an excellently taut thriller. The build up is paced to precision, all characters are introduced to us to give us something to associate with should things go very wrong. As this is happening we get little POV snippets of our killer, accompanied by Charles Fox's harshly impacting music, the killer is never seen but we feel the dread, the impending sense of murder is a constant presence.

Once we are at the game and the authorities are aware that a sniper is on the roof, the film shifts up a gear and lays on the suspense thick and heavy. Captain Holly (Charlton Heston in authoritative scene commanding form) is joined by the SWAT team, led by the cool and serious Sgt. Chris Button (John Cassavetes), whilst stadium security manager Sam McKeever (Martin Balsam) prays that disaster can be averted. Then the final third of the picture is a ripper of heart pounding stuff, a final third that rewards the viewers patience for having invested in the film and the key characters. Filling out the cast is Gena Rowlands, Jack Klugman (brilliant interplay with Mitch Ryan's priest), Beau Bridges, Walter Pidgeon and David Jansen.

Two-Minute Warning is a quality thriller that is sadly undervalued on the big IMDb site, go on, give it a go and you might just be pleasantly surprised. 7.5/10

Footnote: I should point out that my thoughts are on the original unedited cut of this film, I have never seen the watered down TV cut and have no plans to ever do so.have never seen the watered down TV cut and have no plans to ever do so.

A psychotic sniper plans a massive killing spree in a Los Angeles football stadium during a major championship game. The police, led by Captain Peter Holly (Charlton Heston) and SWAT commander Sergeant Button (John Cassavetes), learn of the plot and rush to the scene.

This film probably maintains a level of popularity (if it has one) due to its cast, as the film itself is largely forgotten. But it should not be, as it takes the threat of a sniper (much like with Dirty Harry) and puts him into a crowded, confined area:a football stadium. Security today may never allow such things to happen, but the thought is scary.

There is plenty of action, but even more suspense. And that is what makes it more than just an action film. Who will be targeted? What is the sniper's motive? So much unknown.