11:55

Despite multiple onscreen timestamps, the film doesn't generate ticking-clock tension so much as it paints a picture of dead ends and foreordained poverty.

Sincere, sometimes brief performances - including those of John Leguizamo as a disabled veteran, and Julia Stiles as the bitter wife of Nelson's nemesis - lend necessary oomph to a narrative that can, at times, verge on sleepy.

Transcends any lingering trace of gimmickry with emotionally gripping results.

Actor Victor Almanzar makes his screenwriting debut with the gritty, visceral, and sobering 11:55.

It's Almanzar's controlled portrayal of a man who's learned from past mistakes and recent trauma, though, that will really haunt you.