Audiences in 1976 had gotten so cynical to the "disaster movie" cycle that not even a distressing premise such as this raised any eyebrows: as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum prepares for a big football game between L.A. and Baltimore, a sniper climbs unnoticed to the Coliseum's tower overlooking the stadium and prepares to start firing (he conveniently has raw meat in his pockets, to distract the guard dogs!). One of those all-star calamities in which each of the famous actors get about 10 minutes apiece on-screen before their fates are revealed. David Janssen and Gena Rowlands are standouts as a happily squabbling couple, Jack Klugman is hammy and colorful as a gambler in debt to mobsters, but headliner Charlton Heston walks through his role as the police captain. Director Larry Peerce, never a filmmaker interested in subtlety or sensitivity, was probably the perfect man to film Edward Hume's crass screenplay, adapted from George LaFountaine's novel. Reworked extensively for network television (to soften the impact); that version credited to the non-existent Gene Palmer. *1/2 from ****

Thrilling and entertaining disaster movie but full clichés and stereotypes with enjoyable performances from Charlton Heston and John Cassavetes . This catastrophe movie blends action , intrigue , disaster spectacle, suspense and emotional byplay . ¨Two-minute warning¨ was a successful film that grossed at box office . A psychotic sniper wielding a rifle with telescopic sight plans a massacre during a major championship game . The two protagonists , the police Captain Peter Holly (Charlton Heston) and SWAT commander Sergeant Button (John Cassavetes), learn of the plot and spend most of their time devising various ways for avoid to psychopath sniper carries out his aims : a massive killing spree in Los Angeles football stadium filled to capacity . As our heroes get stuck in the stadium before it blows up and when slaughter takes place they go into action ; as they pay tribute to policemen . There takes place a struggle between two forces , the cops and the sinister assassin and ultimately erupts when the crowd turns almost effortlessly and devours itself in a climax of panic . Exciting film that contains noisy action , unsettling scenes , thrills , emotion and turns out to be pretty entertaining . This formula suspense movie belongs to catastrophe genre of the 70s , being the undisputed king , ¨The towering inferno¨ along with ¨Earthquake¨ , ¨Roller coaster¨ and many others ; this formula disaster movie was widely developed by Irwin Allen , previously winner of numerous Oscars for ¨Poseidon¨ until the failures as ¨Beyond Poseidon¨, ¨Swarm¨ and ¨When the time ran out¨ . ¨Two-minute warning¨ results to be an intriguing and suspenseful film , there was a later version released that had footage not shown in theaters , in the original theatrical version, the sniper's motives were not known. In the later television version, it was revealed that the attack was done to cover an art robbery next door . Filmed at the height of the disaster genre from the 7os , this entry in the spectacular series profits of a strong acting by starring trio Charlton Heston , John Cassavetes and Martin Balsam . Succeeds in combining various talented actors , an all star cast came together that tie for film's top casting honors ; furthermore a top-notch secondary casting such as Gina Rowlands, Beau Bridges , Jack Klugman , Marilyn Hasset , Pamela Bellwood , Mitch Ryan , Brock Peters, David Janssen and Walter Pidgeon as a pickpocket who formerly co-starred in 'Harry in Your Pocket' , a film about pickpocket s. This edgy , paranoid film was deemed too violent to show intact on broadcast television, so they re-wrote the story and added a heist element , the re-written material minimized both the main storyline and the subplots . Colorful and gripping photography in Panavision by Gerard Hirschfeld , including persistent high-angle shots , subjective camera-work and use of long lenses . Intriguing and atmospheric score by Charles Fox . This big-budgeted disaster movie was professionally though coldly directed by Larry Peerce , an usual TV movies director . Rating : Good and entertaining , it's a fairly watchable disaster movie.

**SPOILERS** The movie "Two Minute warning" is by far one of the best disaster movies to come out out of the disaster-ridden Hollywood studios of the 1970's. It's also one of the most restrained in its holding back the impending disaster, a deranged sniper opening fire in a packed sports stadium, for almost the entire length of the film!We get glimpse of the sniper whom we only see from the neck down until he's spotted by a camera from the Goodyear Blimp that's broadcasting the championship football game between L.A and Baltimore at the packed, with over 90,000 in attendance, Los Angles Colosseum. It's then that both the L.A police and a SWAT team are called in to surgically, with as little violence as possible, take him out in order to avoid a mass panic at the stadium.In charge of the LAPD detail sent to stop the sniper is Capt. Peter Holly, Charlton Heston, who despite his being in law enforcement is very reluctant to have his men use violence to take the sniper out. The SWAT team squad leader Sgt. Chris Button, John Cassavetes, is more then willing to use all the fire power available to him to put an end to the snipers plans. It's that reason that creates tension between the two to the point where the sniper is given a free hand, because of Capt. Holly and Sgt. Button squabbling, to get his shots off that in effect ends up killing scores of people, by being shot or being stampeded, by the time the film is over.What makes "Two Minute Warning" a superior disaster movie is not really the explosive action that happens when the sniper opens fire on the crowd, as well as members of Sgt. Button's SWAT team, but the nerve wracking and nail biting tension that slowly builds up to it. What the audience gets to see is just how difficult it is to subdue, or take out, a determined homicidal, as well a suicidal, maniac when he gets himself into a secure bunker-like position to open fire in a crowded sports stadium! Where in taking him out with deadly force can cause far more damage to the unsuspecting and innocent people in attendance there then even the damage that he could do! We see that in the body count were those killed-in the wild stampede- during the pandemonium a the L.A Colosseum far outnumbered those who were shot to death by the sniper!P.S The film "Two Minute Warning" was re-edited, for TV, with some 30 minutes inserted into it about the real reason for the sniper's insane actions. In that he was part of a hold-up team, who's job was to distract attention, who were robbing a jewelry store just outside the Los Angles Colosseum. It's as if those responsible for this alternative ending had to give the sniper a reason-like he really needed one-for his actions to make the movie believable to the TV audience. It never occurred to them that a person dead set to murder possibly hundreds of innocent people needs any reasons at all to do it! Besides what, in its original release, the movie made him out to be: A mindless and deranged homicidal lunatic!

First of all, I love all-star seventies movies loaded with cranky old men like Jack Klugman, Martin Balsam, and David Janssen.The first half of Two-Minute Warning is a bit slow, taking a little too much time setting up characters and situations. The second hour is where all the excitement is, making up for the first as the sniper is spotted and the SWAT team begins taking their positions.Really good editing adds much to the movie as we get contrasting shots of the game, the police, the sniper, and the clueless crowd (some of it through the sniper's scope) including a very paranoid Beau Bridges noticing things his fellow spectators do not.The last twenty minutes are incredibly suspenseful and sad.It was quite ironic seeing John Cassevettes, the sensitive artist, arguing with the lover of all things gun, Charleton Heston, over the fact that he would rather shoot the creep first and ask questions later while Heston wants to take him alive!What I didn't like was the fictionalization of the football game, the creation of "Championship X" being a thinly veiled version of the Super Bowl with two bland looking made up teams referred to as Baltimore and L.A. Apparently the NFL didn't approve of the idea of a psychotic sniper at the Super Bowl!I think it's time for a remake of Two-Minute Warning with modern stars and special effects and the participation of the NFL!