Denver gets its close-up|The locally made thriller “11:59” can’t quite be judged by the same criteria as a mainstream release, or even a relatively obscure arthouse offering.
It’s an admirable work in between worlds, on its way to something better. It’s an unpolished yet absorbing idea, from a writer/director bound to find the money to make a future gem. (Even the way the film is being shown is outside the norm – the filmmakers are renting space at the Starz FilmCenter for two weeks, after showing at any festivals that would take them.)
“11:59” is science fiction set in a very non-fictional TV newsroom. Aaron (Raymond Andrew Bailey) is a hotshot news photographer. He and his picture-perfect female reporting colleague hop in a truck in pursuit of a murder suspect, on the run from police. They barrel through the streets of Denver, ahead of even the cops, their evil-genius news director (Liz Cunningham) shouting directions in their ears.
Though filmmaker Jamin Winans is too fond of herky-jerky editing tricks to liven up his action, he gets the street sense right. Aaron bails out of the truck and grabs his camera, chasing the suspect up alleys and around garages, finally confronting him when they’re both about to collapse. Then it’s the old dilemma of the running dog: What do you do when you actually catch the car?
The suspect claims innocence, speaks of a conspiracy against him. Aaron ignores him, and accepts congrats for his big scoop. A few scenes later, though, he wakes up in a wheat field well east of Denver, having lost the past 24 hours of his life.
“What day is it?” he asks a coworker. “Wednesday.” “What happened to Tuesday?”
Aaron slowly, too slowly perhaps, tries to find out. The suspect was assassinated by an angry father on the courthouse steps. Aaron should have been there to film it, but he was out of commission in that wheat field. Other people might die if Aaron can’t figure things out, and in the meantime a close mayoral race also may hinge on the alleged conspiracy.
Winans gets the newsroom right, and Cunningham’s character – slyly named “Adele,” in yet another nod to hometown Denver fans – could peel paint off a battleship with her tongue. But Bailey’s affect is so flat he’s nearly catatonic, and the lack of emotion becomes distracting as Winans” camera focuses closer and closer on our hero. Bailey, as directed here, is not quite dynamic enough to carry the plot.
Part of the fun of “11:59”, of course, is to see how Denver looks dressed up as a feature film. Much of it works – dancing at The Church, acknowledgements of the integral Hispanic demographic, cool office buildings constructed for impersonal technology. The city is ready for its close-up, and Winans is poised to take advantage of it.
** 1/2 | “11:59”
PG-13 for language and mature themes|1 hour, 40 minutes|THRILLER|Written and Directed by Jamin Winans; starring Raymond Andrew Bailey, Liz Cunningham, Laura Fuller and Chris Kelly|Opens today at Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli.
