Mixed martial arts fighter Octa (Emilio Sakraya) ditches a match with minutes to go in order to keep shared custody of his young daughter. With only 60 minutes to get across central Berlin, he discovers too late that his match was fixed, and a group of furious organised criminals are hot on his trail.

The clock is ticking in this fast and frantic action vehicle for German actor Emilio Sakraya (Warrior Nun). It does pretty much exactly what any good action movie does: the premise is sharp, its execution rattles along at a good pace, and the action is both frequent and inventive. Certainly it is a derivative film – you can spot the influences, and it slots very neatly into the Besson-inspired oeuvre of European action cinema – but to borrow an old phrase it ‘does what it says on the tin’, and it does it remarkably well.

Viewers of a particular vintage will be having Run Lola Run flashbacks. It turns out there are only so many ways you can shoot someone with dyed hair running through a German city to electronic dance music.

Sakraya is a wonderful lead actor as well. For one thing he is an absolute pro with the film’s constant martial arts fights, taking a beating but giving many more back in return. He fits ably into the contemporary mode of bruised Energiser Bunnies: far from the indestructible behemoths of the 1980s, the modern action hero is typified by Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. They are just as undefeatable as they always were, simply with more blood, scratches, and tortured limping. There is a nice emotional vulnerability going on as well – we are not talking Bergman here, but within the context of action cinema it provides a nice nuance in between the flurries of kicks and punches. The film remembers to take a pause for breath between each set piece. Some of these quieter moments are among 60 Minutes‘ best.

There is a strong supporting cast as well, notably Marie Mouroum as Octa’s personal trainer – and recurring sidekick – Cosima. Mouroum is a stunt artist turned actor – including work in Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther – and hopefully has a long performing career ahead. Certainly she fully deserves one.

Oliver Kienle directs with a certain flair and an emphasis on entertaining the audience. The film runs a tight 90 minutes overall, with a short introduction and epilogue framing the titular 60 minutes. Events don’t quite run in real time, but they may as well. There’s a bit of depth, occasional moments of comedy, and a whole lot of blunt physical violence. What more does a discerning action fan need?