Fight Run Time Bloat With These Fantastic Movies Under 90 Minutes
Movies don’t have to be three hours long to be great – in fact, these under 90-minute gems are better than many boasting a long run time.
Movies have progressively gotten longer in the last decade. While the expanded times have allowed some movies to soar, it has also created bloated bores (I’m looking at you, Avatar 2). Bringing the run time down can result in better storytelling, jumpier scares, tension that doesn’t lose slack, and laughs that don’t feel tired. Here are some films you can watch and still have time for dinner and discussion afterward.
The Killing – 85 minutes
One of Kubrick’s early movies. The Killing is about a racetrack robbery that packs action and drama-filled story into a small package without any wasted time.
Career crook Johnny Clay puts together a team for one last job before he settles down with his fiancee. He recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender, and a betting teller named George, and others to steal millions from the racetrack Johnny works at. The heist is airtight, but George and his wife have plans of their own, and the whole thing starts to unravel.
House – 88 minutes
Nobuhiko Obayashi’s indescribable Hausu. The closest I can get to summing it up is a psychedelic ghost tale.
In an effort to avoid spending time with her father and his creepy new lover, young Gorgeous resolves to visit her aunt’s remote mansion. With six of her closest friends in tow – including the musically inclined Melody and the geeky Prof – Gorgeous arrives at the estate, where supernatural events occur almost immediately.
The Evil Dead – 85 minutes
The first in the franchise was made with a shoestring budget, which made it better. Creative special effects and Bruce Campbell’s outrageous performance make the tight story of a haunted cabin make The Evil Dead a must-watch.
Ashley “Ash” Williams, his girlfriend, and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it’s read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life
This is Spinal Tap – 82 minutes
A parody doc about a fake band that turns it up to eleven without overstaying its welcome.
‘This is Spinal Tap’ shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes, and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on, and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.
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Stand By Me – 89 minutes
Stephen King’s coming-of-age tale leaves supernatural scares behind for real-life lessons and the danger lurking around growing up. Its young cast makes the journey work.
After learning that a stranger has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio, Chris Chambers, and Teddy Duchamp encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys’ adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
The Ghost in the Shell – 83 Minutes
Mamoru Oshii’s adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s cyberpunk manga is considered one of the best in the genre. Its philosophical story and gorgeous animation make it a must-see.
Major Motoko Kusanagi and counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9 chase ‘The Puppet Master.’ The hacker breaks into the minds of cyborg-human hybirds, able to modify thier identity. The Major’s pursuit leads her to question her own makeup, what it might be like to be more human. Her curiosity sends the case in an unexpected direction.
Run Lola Run – 81 minutes
Set in Berlin, a two-bit criminal delivers smuggled loot for his boss, but accidentally leaves the 100,000 makr payment in a subway car. He’s given twenty minutes to come up with the money, he calls his girlfriend.
A roller coaster of what-ifs set to a pulsating soundtrack. This trio of stories will have you on the edge of your seat and rooting on its flaming red-haired lead.
The Limey – 89 minutes
Revenge Steven Soderbergh style. Terrance Stamp’s raw performance leads this neo-noir that looks at Hollywood’s seedy underbelly.
Wilson is a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter’s death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine and an army of L.A.’s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building, and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.
Chronicle – 84 minutes
A smart found-footage movie that takes on superheroes. It doesn’t waste time, and the performances from the trio of leads – including Michael B. Jordan – make Chronicle a fun stand out.
Andrew is a socially awkward, introverted teen whose main form of escape and expression is a video camera. But things begin to change when Andrew, his cousin Matt and popular classmate Steve discover a mysterious substance that leaves them with incredible powers. As their abilities become more powerful, the teens’ lives spin out of control when their darker sides begin to emerge. Andrew’s camera captures the unfolding events.
What We Do in the Shadows – 86 Minutes
Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, and Jonathan Brugh are vampire housemates in this ridiculous comedy. The movie follows their adventures as they try to cope with modern life while showing a new hipster vamp the perks of being undead. It helped give Waititi his start and led to the hit TV show.
