Plot: In Seattle, Jon Forster is slated for execution today. He was convicted nine years ago for the torturous murder of Joanie Cates, that conviction largely possible by the expert testimony of forensic psychiatrist Jack Gramm, who also teaches at Northwestern Washington University and has a private practice. Jack's testimony was especially important as the only known witness, Joanie's twin sister Janie Cates, only saw the murderer as a shadowy figure. The murder took place in their apartment, Joanie, drugged but alive, hung upside down using a system of pulleys while she was tortured before being murdered. In the intervening years, a handful of seemingly copycat murders have taken place in Seattle, with no one convicted in those subsequent cases, leading to the thought by some, including within the FBI, that Forster may not be Joanie's murderer. As such, the FBI does question Jack today to ensure that he still stands by his testimony before Forster's execution. Jack also learns today that the latest murder occurred last night, the victim, Dale Morris, who was a patient of his, and who he saw last night at a party celebrating Forster's conviction. As he is on his way to teach a class, Jack receives a telephone call, the computer altered voice on the other end telling him that he will be murdered in eighty-eight minutes. He receives subsequent telephone calls and messages every five minutes or so counting down the minutes. The eighty-eight minutes is significant in Jack's life pertaining to the murder of his younger sister Katie when she was a child. As such, he knows that what is currently happening is personal against him. He is certain that Forster, despite being behind bars, is behind the subsequent murders and the death threat against him. Jack has to figure out within those eighty-eight minutes who is working on Forster's behalf, the leading suspects in his mind being one of his many students who are enthralled with the case, and/or someone who attended that celebratory party who knew of his association with Dale, that perpetrator who knows these intimate details of his life in their entirety.
Alternative Plot: Famed forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after profilers around. His expert testimony has resulted in the conviction of many criminals, including serial killer Jon Forster. On the eve of Forster's execution, one of Gramm's students is murdered in a vicious copycat crime, and Gramm himself receives an ominous message informing him that he has less than 90 minutes to live.
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