Movies For The Impatient
Although a great long film can be “epic” fun, sometimes you have to wonder if they’re just trying a little too hard. If you want a movie under 90 minutes that gets to the point and doesn’t overstay its welcome, check out these efficient films that won’t have you running out of popcorn.
Airplane! (1980)
It’s a short-haul flight of laughs and gags as 88 minutes fly by like nothing, making for first-class entertainment at economy prices!
Attack The Block (2011)
At just 88 minutes in length, this high-density film about high-density living had John Boyega fighting aliens years before he switched sides in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which took all of 136 minutes to get through.
Film4, Attack the Block (2011)
Before Sunset (2004)
In this second installment of Richard Linklater’s Before series, you’ll likely feel new light has been shone on a charmingly wordy love story after its breezy 80 minutes are over.
Warner Bros., Before Sunset (2004)
Black Dynamite (2009)
Scott Sanders’ tribute—and satire—of blaxploitation titles of the ‘70s packs this new take on an old genre into a swift 84 minutes.
Destination, Black Dynamite (2009)
Blackfish (2013)
Sometimes the topic is so intense, you don’t need to take forever to make your point, as Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s 83-minute documentary on killer whales kept in captivity amply demonstrates.
Borat (2006)
For those who squirm at cringe comedy, rest assured, you can get through Sacha Baron Cohen’s semi-fake documentary in a crisp 84 minutes—and its sequel, Brüno (2009), manages to shave two minutes off this endurance challenge!
Twentieth Century, Borat (2006)
Breathless (1960)
You won’t have to hold your breath forever, as bad boy French director Jean-Luc Godard keeps the pacing brisk in this 87-minute New Wave classic.
Les Films Impéria, Breathless (1960)
Child’s Play (1988)
Playtime with a surly Chucky the talking doll is only 87 minutes long, but many more minutes will be shed on sequels, a reboot, a TV series, and endless merchandising.
United Artists, Child's Play (1988)
Chronicle (2012)
What? A superhero film that’s just 84 minutes long? This generally well-received example of the found footage genre wraps up its morality tale quickly enough for you to use your spare time to investigate why a rumored sequel was never put into motion.
Twentieth Century, Chronicle (2012)
City Lights (1931)
Famed actor-director Charlie Chaplin took his time exiting the silent era, but moviegoers flocked to this 87-minute tale of class division and the triumph of love. And even though there’s no dialogue, Chaplin composed his own music and added it to the soundtrack.
United Artists, City Lights (1931)
Crank (2006)
Jason Statham’s hitman character gets double-crossed and poisoned, because, shockingly, there’s no honor among assassins. To stay alive, he has to keep his heart rate up, with Chev Chelios, and the audience, enduring 88 minutes of one adrenaline rush after another.
Dumbo (1941)
After the costly 126-minute Fantasia (1940) failed to make a profit, Walt Disney needed a moneymaker. This very popular tale of a circus elephant mocked for his big ears—until he uses them to soar into the air—did the trick, clocking in at a very efficient 64 minutes.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Spawning numerous sequels and a video game, Sam Raimi’s riveting 85-minute feature debut had such a low budget that adding five minutes would’ve been squeezing more cinematic blood out of the proverbial stone. But it did great at the box office, becoming both an “instant classic” (said the Los Angeles Times) and a cult classic too.
New Line, The Evil Dead (1981)
Eraserhead (1977)
In a deeply vertiginous buffet of metallic sounds and a genetically implausible baby, it’s a relief this 89-minute movie wasn’t 20 minutes longer, as dystopian director David Lynch originally intended.
Frances Ha (2012)
For 85 minutes, Greta Gerwig floats through New York City and her lightweight dancing career in this brief but enchanting look at a dancer who may be on the brink of something bigger.
Frankenstein (1931)
Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster efficiently scared audiences in this 70-minute adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel.
Universal, Frankenstein (1931)
Ghost In The Shell (1995)
Mamoru Oshii’s 83-minute anime about a full-body cyborg (save for brain and spinal column) solving cybercrimes is worth investigating for its visuals, and for manga author Masamune Shirow’s intricate story of Major Motoko Kusanagi’s existential ruminations.
Bandai, Ghost in the Shell (1995)
High Moon (1952)
Abandoned by his townsfolk, a sheriff about to retire takes a stand as a notorious criminal returns to a frontier town. This unconventional 85-minute western takes place more or less in real time, with clocks on display throughout the movie, heightening the naturalistic suspense.
United Artists, High Noon (1952)
The Killing (1956)
Stanley Kubrick covers more of the preparations for a heist than the robbery itself, setting a standard for the genre for decades to come. With the film being just 85 minutes long, you’re unlikely to feel you were robbed of your precious time here.
United Artists, The Killing (1956)
The Lion King (1994)
Not as short as the aforementioned Dumbo (1941), this massive critical and box office success wasn’t even intended as a musical, but somehow animal Hamlet with delightful tunes told its grand story of life stages and power plays in just 88 minutes.
Walt Disney, The Lion King (1994)
March Of The Penguins (2005)
If you spend a year in chilly Antarctica to capture the amazing family lives of our favorite tuxedo-wearing waddlers, you’d think you’d want to stretch the footage to the max. But no, Luc Jacquet’s documentary won an Oscar for these tales of penguin romance, and he did so in a cool 80 minutes.
Wild Bunch, March Of The Penguins (2005)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
This Japanese animation sealed Hayao Miyazaki’s reputation, as two girls get to know a lovable, and very large, spirit named Totoro. He’s a big presence in the film’s small but endearing 86 minutes.
Ghibli, My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
A Night At The Roxbury (1998)
“What is love?” the soundtrack asks. Well, maybe it’s this movie–which dances and jokes for an energetic 82 minutes–that will become the object of your affection.
Paramount, A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
One of Tim Burton’s more famous films, this animated feature is so intense you might be glad this 77-minute nightmare ends when it does.
Touchstone, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Paranormal Activity (2007)
The film that launched a thousand scares and almost as many sequels, this found footage classic was shot for just $50,000. Even after the distributors threw in money for rights and a new ending, these 86 minutes may have produced the largest return on investment of any film ever made, with a box office of nearly $200 million.
Blumhouse, Paranormal Activity (2007)
Pi (1998)
Despite there being an infinite number of digits in pi, Darren Aronofsky’s first movie uses a finite time and budget to hint at this most famous of transcendental numbers. You’ll either love or hate math after this 84-minute survey course.
Pickpocket (1959)
French director Robert Bresson’s films can feel slow, very slow, but this 75-minute film about thieves manages some brisk shots that just might steal your attention.
Primer (2004)
For a movie that’s all about time travel, you might think it would take more than 77 minutes to jump around the timelines. But Shane Carruth’s supercheap cult classic gets the job done, and quickly.
Rope (1948)
Famed master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock kept this movie on a short leash as he filmed this tale of murder using as few cuts as possible. Considering the technical tightrope he walked, it’s perhaps no wonder this chain of long takes is kept to a compact 80 minutes.
Run Lola Run (1998)
With a running time (so to speak) of just 81 minutes, this breathless tale of Lola’s time-looped attempts to save her boyfriend keeps up a frenetic pace, more a sprint than the languid marathon of the iconic time-warping Groundhog Day, released five years earlier.
Rashomon (1950)
Lending its title to the famous Rashomon effect, this 88-minute classic by Akira Kurosawa shows how four witnesses remember a grisly crime in very different ways, highlighting how self-interest and the vagaries of memory affect people’s fragile recollections.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Here’s another time-travel movie that doesn’t want to waste your time, coming in at 86 minutes–a lot less than director Colin Trevorrow used on Jurassic World (2015).
FilmDistrict, Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Slow West (2015)
Critics acknowledged this new take on westerns could be a slow burn, but it’s punctuated by enough moments of mad excitement to keep its 84 minutes trotting along.
Stand By Me (1986)
Surely you can stand or sit for the 89 minutes of this adaptation of a Stephen King story, as teenagers face and overcome fears and tribulations looming large.
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Before you know it, this rock-music mockumentary has already left the building, so Rob Reiner’s 82-minute parody of musical self-absorption hardly needs an intermission.
Spinal Tap, This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Toy Story (1995)
It was new, it was different, and Pixar needed only 81 minutes to break new animated ground and make a lasting—and profitable—impression.
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Vampire life can be bloody tedious, but at least these housemates attack your funny bone while doing so. Just 86 minutes long, this biting satire was cut from an astonishing 125 hours of mostly improvised scenes.
NZFC, What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Zombieland (2009)
Despite the movie’s short length and those dastardly quick zombies, there’s plenty of time to chat and laze about, even with Bill Murray playing Bill Murray. Meanwhile, it’s no names for Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin, as you don’t want to get too attached during this short 88-minute zombie apocalypse.
Time’s Up!
There are many more movies that don’t reach the 90-minute threshold of a standard feature, but let’s cut it here to avoid defeating the whole point of a short presentation. Just remember, it doesn’t have to be an epic tale to leave a lasting impression!
