Review: ’11:14′ You’ll Love it – if you Like Movies Like This

It’s sounds absurd to say, but you’ll love “11:14” if you like movies like this. And by “movies like this” I mean a story that covers a mere 40 minutes of time – told from five different perspectives on one single and completely insane night.

This 2003 indie was written and directed by Greg Marcks (in his feature directorial debut) and features an ensemble cast that includes Rachael Leigh Cook, Hilary Swank, Patrick Swayze, and Jason Segal to name a few. The neo-noir black comedy thriller film is a tight 86 minutes and will keep you hooked from start to finish.

Five Plots

There are five storylines the viewer will follow. The film begins with Jack (Henry Thomas of “ET” and “Haunting of Hill House” fame) driving drunk. Jack collides with something – a deer? A person? You’ll find out as you watch. Each of the plotlines are ridiculous to say the least. A group of idiots (fronted by Colin Hanks) on a carefree night of mischief. An overly protective father (Swayze) doing whatever it takes to cover for his mischievous daughter (Cook) and an abusive boyfriend. Employees of a nearby convenient store (Swank and Shawn Hatosy) staging a robbery.

I love stuff like this. Multiple perspectives of the same event. Five different stories that meet at 11:14 on a random night. It’s dark humor at its finest. Greg Marcks relays the story in a unified way. He blends the seemingly benign groups into one outlandish and chaotic mess. Every sub-plot works on its own. Together they form a single cohesive arc.

2003: An underrated Time

Not to be lost is the year the film takes place. I love the 80s and 90s, but there is a certain nostalgia for the early oughts as well. 2003 was a world in which I was still young, and still going out late at night and drinking with friends. It was also an era at the dawn of the internet. The infancy of cellular phones and social media. As one character (played by Barbara Hershey) advises she has a “new cell phone” that “she never uses.” Oh how I long for those days.

“11:14” is a simple but thrilling picture. It premiered at the 56th Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2003 and also screened at the 28th Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2003. It then went straight to video but that was an oversight. It’s worth watching for those who are fans of the multiple storylines. It’s simplicity can be appreciated by lovers of indie cinema.

“11:14” is currently available to rent on Amazon