Coming home is never easy, as the movie 11:55 shows us. 
-Arlene Frooman
   Courtesy of YouTube
Marine Sergeant Nelson Sanchez (Victor Almanzar) returns home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He receives a loving welcome from his girlfriend, Livvy (Shirley Rumierk). His sister, Angie (Elizabeth Rodriquez), hosts a neighborhood surprise party in Nelson’s honor. Nelson’s former “godfather,” Maurice (David Zayas) attends and we learn that before enlisting, Nelson was an “enforcer” in the local drug trade.

Read Movie Review: Loev

 War and experience away from his neighborhood have changed Nelson. Although he admits he wants to leave his street life behind to settle down and have a family, he is confronted with the sudden realization that his service as a Marine has not taught him any employable skills. Within hours of returning, the word on the street is out. The message is payback for unfinished business between Nelson and Nicky Quinn (Mike Carlsen). People are coming to kill him. When asked why he came home, he replied, “Where else would I go?” While his girlfriend and sister encourage him to flee and start over in Boston, the bus station is already staked out. He decides he is no longer running and “can’t wake up every day worrying about people coming to get me.”

Nelson wants to handle the vendetta with Quinn. He tries to enlist his former soldiers from the ‘hood, but they are unwilling to engage in disrupting the tentative peace that transpired during Nelson’s absence. Frustrated and betrayed, Nelson resorts to the VA to find his brother soldiers. Instead, he is embarrassed by the devotion of his severely disabled former Captain (John Leguizamo) who views Nelson as a hero. Unable to find support, Nelson must face Quinn alone in answering for the death of Quinn’s brother. Nicky Quinn is scheduled to return at 11:55.

The film is written by Victor Almanzar, Ari Issler and Ben Stimmler.  It is also directed by Issler and Stimmler. Almanzar offers a credible performance and his familiarity with the culture lends a level of authenticity to the film. The desolate cityscape of dilapidated, tagged buildings, empty warehouses and deserted streets after nightfall set the tone.  A culture of burglaries, robberies and small-time drug trade flourishes amidst economic decay. Rodriquez shines as Angie, Nelson’s overprotective sister, who is outraged when his former bros won’t come to Nelson’s aid. Julia Stiles gives a brief but brilliant performance as Nicky Quinn’s agitated, pregnant wife who loathes his obsession with revenge and his thug mentality. Leguizamo is both exceptional and humorous as the disabled Captain in his overzealous attempt to recruit his fellow Marines for Nelson.

11:55 offers a unique portrayal of a soldier’s return from war and his reintegration into a society plagued by urban blight, high unemployment and drug trade. He enlisted in order to escape a past that he regrets, but, he must still face it. He feels forgotten through this absence by all but his nemesis, Nicky Quinn. The story generally works until one becomes frustrated with the slow timing and the predictable outcome.

Arlene Frooman is a Texas-based writer. Marnie, her Corgi has been known to occasionally boss her around.