4 Minutes Review: Great-Tyme Thriller? Not Quite.
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When the creators of ‘4 Minutes’ dropped the trailer for their time-traveling (sort of) thriller, you couldn’t make out what the plot was about, which was a great sign – good trailers shouldn’t give the story away. But now that I’ve seen the 8-episode long series starring Bible Wichapas Sumettikul and Jespipat Tilapornputt as Great and Tyme, I am still not sure what the whole point of the story was!
Directed by Ning Bhanbhassa Dhubthien, who was a screenwriter for “KinnPorsche”, Thai thriller ‘4 Minutes’ follows wealthy university student Great Pacharawit Sriwatsombat (Bible Wichapas Sumettikul), who suddenly gains the supernatural power to see 4 minutes into the future. So, this newfound ability helps him fix several bad decisions and leads him to meeting the charming doctor Tyme Thamin (Jespipat Tilapornputt). While strong speaks fly between the two, however, Dr Tyme seems to have ulterior motives for getting close to Great. Dark family secrets, lies, money, corruption, vengeance, and a murder complicate Great’s pursuit of a relationship with Dr Tyme.
After watching Bible Wichapas Sumettikul play the twisted villain Vegas in ‘KinnPorsche’, a lot of fans were excited to watch him lead his own show, but surprisingly, the first half of ‘4 Minutes’ gives its secondary leads Korn Sriwatsombat (Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon), Great’s older stepbrother, and his boyfriend Tonkla (Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra) a lot more space. Korn takes over his wealthy father’s many businesses, including some shady enterprises, which is eventually connected with the primary pair’s plot. Interestingly, Korn and Great share a healthy, endearing sibling relationship despite being stepbrothers. However, as Korn’s work responsibilities increase, he starts to ignore Tonkla, prompting Tonkla to begin a steamy affair with a cop named Win (JJay Patiphan Fueangfunuwat), who is investigating the murder of Tonkla’s younger brother. While both Win’s and Tonkla’s roles in the story seem unclear at first, they become crucial catalysts for many events in the climax.
The screenplay for 4 Minutes can be quite confusing for viewers due to the ‘what if’ scenarios running through the plot (nowhere near as bad as the Thai time-travel series ‘609 Bedtime Story’ though). The creators blur the lines between reality and the supernatural by presenting two timelines—one where Great makes awful decisions and lives with the consequences, and another where he rewinds time by four minutes to choose better outcomes. The cinematography leans heavily into symbolism, especially regarding the number four and time in general, though naming the main character “Tyme” felt like overdoing the metaphor.
There is no clear antagonist in the tale, and wealth seems to be the biggest villain in 4 Minutes, it corrupts the brothers Great and Korn in different ways. In his eagerness to please his crony-capitalist father, Korn remains in the closet, pursues a relationship with the daughter of a business partner for financial benefits and alienates the person he loves. Great on the other hand seems to despise his parents’, but he is more than happy to use their clout and influence to cover up his many misdeeds, some of which would land an ordinary youngster in prison. Those looking forward to a solid romantic plot between Dr Tyme and Great in the series are likely to be left disappointed, because their story is rushed. And while Bible Wichapas Sumettikul and Jespipat Tilapornputt do have great onscreen chemistry, they are overshadowed by the steamy-messy love triangle between Tonkla, Korn and Win, especially in the first half.
Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon and Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra, as Korn and Tonkla, are initially introduced in a way that make them look like casual lovers who simply meet up for sex, but flashbacks reveal them to be college sweethearts who are genuinely affectionate toward each other. Last seen playing a coy, skittish, helpless teenager in the horror series ‘Dead Friend Forever – DFF’, Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra stands out as Tonkla, an angst-ridden character who uses sex as a coping mechanism, to distract himself from the things he cannot control. Tonkla could’ve easily been reduced to a boy toy meant solely to titillate the audience, but Fuaiz manages to make one wonder why Tonkla is the way he is, delivering a spirited portrayal of grief, angst, and vengeance in the few scenes where he isn’t in bed with someone.
The mysterious aspects of 4 Minutes heavily generated by the confusing realities and not a suspenseful plot. For instance, a murder takes place in the very first episode, and viewers already know who the killer is, however, due to the changing realities, you don’t know if the murder really occurred or not. If that already sounds confusing to you, wait until you watch the series, you’ll be in for more confounding surprises. The finale appears to introduce a whole new angle to the tale that will just make you go “WTF?”. A weird, unnecessary sequence of Tyme being confused over what’s happening to him slows down the pace of the last episode. Viewers get a half-baked explanation of Great’s ability to see 4 minutes into the future and are left with a rushed conclusion to the lead pair’s personal and romantic struggles. A more straight-forward thriller plot without the time-travel aspect would’ve made 4 Minutes a lot more entertaining, but then, the creators would’ve needed a whole new title. Check out the series if you like the cast.
You can watch 4 Minutes on iQIYI.
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