New to Netflix from today is the German action thriller, Sixty Minutes (aka 60 Minuten). The movie – directed and co-written by Oliver Kienle – stars Emilio Sakraya, Dennis Mojen, and Marie Mouroum, and tells the story of a father who faces various challenges while desperately attempting to reach his ex-partner’s house to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.
In the movie, Octavio Bergmann is a mixed martial arts fighter who is scheduled to compete in a three-round match. However, on the day of the fight he promises his daughter, Leonie, he will be with her to celebrate her birthday.
Octavio is determined to keep his promise to Leonie, and has a card, a cake, and a present lined up for her. But he’s already running behind schedule, and it appears he’ll be a couple of hours later than planned – if he makes it at all.
Just as he is about to walk out to the ring to take part in his fight, he receives a call from his ex-partner, Leonie’s mother, informing him he has exactly one hour to arrive. If he doesn’t turn up at the house by 6pm, she will file for complete custody and he won’t be able to see his daughter again.
Stressed and concerned about what will happen if he doesn’t show up in time, Octavio walks away from the fight and attempts to journey across town to see Leonie. But backing out of the match creates some very nasty enemies, who will do everything they can to find him and take him back to the ring to ensure he competes.
Set out a little bit like an episode of hit ‘00s television show, 24, Sixty Minutes is essentially a suspense-filled action movie which plays out (mostly) in real time. From the moment Octavio is given one hour to get to his ex’s house, the clock is ticking, the tension mounts, and various obstacles are thrown in his way to slow him down.
From backstreet brawls and a fight in a nightclub, to an encounter with the police, Octavio has his work cut out to complete what should be a simple jaunt across town. Every aspect of his journey becomes problematic, even the simple act of picking up the birthday cake, and nothing is easy.
Due to the sheer number of challenges Octavio faces, which happen in quick succession, the movie is able to maintain momentum. Yes, it does become inconceivable that so much drama would happen to one person in such a short space of time, but hey, this is a movie, just go with it.
The important thing is that director Oliver Kienle and co-writer Philip Koch understand it’s best not to dwell on each obstacle for too long. One of the strengths of Sixty Minutes is the way it jumps from problem to problem, without spending too much time getting bogged down on one scene, and this keeps Octavio constantly moving forward.
Emilio Sakraya is great in the lead role of Octavio, and he does an impressive job of carrying pretty much every scene in the film. At the beginning of the movie, he’s shown to be a well-built guy, with muscles popping out of everywhere, so it’s entirely believable the actor has the stamina to run the gauntlet put in front of him.
Sakraya plays the part pumped, fast, and determined. Every step of the way he makes sure his character remains committed to his end goal, which sells the heck out of the idea that Octavio is both a fighter and a not-so-great father who is trying to do better.
Outside of Sakraya, Sixty Minutes features some solid fight scenes, plenty of drama, and some well-staged action. This isn’t a particularly high-budget affair, and various scenes take place in warehouses or up side streets etc, but it still looks good.
The combination of good acting and a fine looking film make all the difference. However, it’s the general premise of Sixty Minutes which sells this movie and makes it appealing.
While Sixty Minutes won’t necessarily win any awards for originality, this is a perfectly good picture with enough action and thrills to maintain its runtime. The fight sequences are decent, the pace is fairly consistent, and the central performance is spot on.
The easy-to-follow premise keeps things simple, yet at the same time it allows for plenty of escalating drama when needed. All-in-all, Sixty Minutes is solid.
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