60 Minutes is a German Netflix film with a premise that promised crackling, bare-knuckle, fast-paced brawling in 60 real-time minutes. In practice, it falls way short.

The film is about MMA fighter who bails on his bout in order to race across Berlin in time for his daughter’s birthday (or else).

With a premise like that, no movie should have this much down-time and pit-stops. When the movie starts, it has a crackling energy like we’re about to witness an hour of real-time pell-mell action as our hero hoofs it across town.

But in reality, there’s surprisingly few chases and surprisingly little fighting. What should be a ticking clock of panic, speed, and bravura escapes quickly loses its momentum. It’s baffling such a crisp concept should feel so sluggish.

This frantic race is really just a boring trot with plenty of rests. It’s such a shame since it’s full of such promise and some of the fight scenes are solid. But I can’t get excited when I’m twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the fun to start.

Score: 68