Review: 30 Minutes or Less

Poor Jesse Eisenberg has 10 hours to rob a bank while a bomb is strapped to his chest - can he ensure that 30 Minutes or Less is a blast?

In 2003, a US pizza delivery man named Brian Douglas Wells was killed when a bomb strapped to his neck exploded following a failed bank robbery. Wells had been ordered to rob the bank under coercion of two individuals, one of whom plotted to scheme to raise funds for their father to be murdered and gain an inheritance.

Sounds hilarious, right?

Perhaps the biggest joke in 30 Minutes or Less is the film's assertation that "any similarities to actual events or situations or actual people are purely coincidental", as here we find a pizza boy (Jesse Eisenberg, reunited with Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer) forced to rob a bank while a bomb is strapped to him, all so two deliquints (played by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) can hire an assassin (Michael Pena) to kill the father of McBride's character's and collect his inheritance.

Let's face it; that such a real-life tragic incident is played for laughs, all the while as the cast and filmmakers feign innocence over an identical sequence of events from eight years ago, is never a great start for any comedy.

Indeed, as I took my seat I had in my head a similar rule to that of Eisenberg's 'thirty minutes delivery of your pizza or it's free' job instructions - if this movie didn't raise a smirk in the first 30 minutes, that cinema door would look mighty inviting.

Eisenberg and Ansari make a fine double act but their efforts deserve a better movie

Eisenberg plays Nick, a slacker with strong feelings for his best friend Chett's (Aziz Ansari on fine form) improbably gorgeous twin sister Katie (Dilshad Vadaria). After revealing that he had slept with his sister in an painful argument of one-upmanship, the two seemingly part ways, until Nick returns with a plea for help and C4 strapped to his chest.

The main comedic elements wrung from 30 Minutes or Less is that instead of watching a typical, clinical Hollywood bank heist (think Heat or The Town) and subsequent car chase, here we're watching two hapless guys in way over their heads, left to spray paint their guns and awkwardly steal a neighbour's prized car.

That Ansari and Eisenberg have such natural chemistry and affable charm is what helps to enliven these scenes, while Ansari has a gift in delivering nonsensical observations and hysterical reactions to each increasingly dangerous situation the duo find themselves in.

As the antagonists of the piece, Swardson and McBride have a more difficult job, as despite putting our lovable heroes in a genuine life-or-death situation, the two have to come across as sympathetic ne'er do wells, rather than villains of the piece (that role is left to a 'gangsta' Michael Pena, whose affected accent quickly grows tiresome).

On this note, it's really down to your personal taste towards McBride's role as 'Kenny Powers' from Eastbound and Down because here the actor is doing what he does best; ad-libbing, shouting, swearing and generally being as loud and vular as possible Personally, I found any scenes with McBride indulgent and overlong - however, if you find a guy announcing "I'm gonna take a shit!" as the height of wit then we may have a disagreement.

Light on laughs

In fact, that's a big criticism of 30 Minutes or Less - too many times genuine comedic setup is ignored for director Fleischer to instead point the camera at his subjects and have them ad-lib and shout in each other's faces for an extended period and hopefully move the plot along. Sure, it's funny for a few scenes but if you're checking this one out on DVD, make sure to have volume control near you beforehand at all times.

Despite its obvious inspiration, the setup for the film is a good one and the filmmakers get as much mileage as possible from a subject that could quickly turn overly dark or disturbing. Unfortunately, the climax (the bank robbery) happens in the middle of the movie, while the flat ending will most likely be greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and a "well, what was the point of that?" from audience.

So with two personable male stars and an ingtriguing conceit, 30 Minutes or Less has plenty going for it but ultimately lacks enough comic inspiration to be truly memorable. There are a few good lines and the 90 minutes zoom by, but unless you're a huge fan of one of the principal cast, this is the very definition of a rental.

Emmet Purcell