| Reviewer Roundup |
| 1. |
 | Dustin Putman |
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| 2. |
| Steve Rhodes |
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Review by Dustin Putman
2 stars out of 4
Directed by Carl Franklin (2002's "High Crimes"), "Out of Time" is
a film noir in the classic sense, the genre's every convention covered
by the time the end credits have rolled. A sultry, swampy backwater
setting. Check. A sexy good-girl-turned-femme-fatale. Check. A bag
of cash. Check. A scheming double cross. Check. There are more characteristics
where these came from, but you get the picture. Screenwriter David
Collard may know all the usual ingredients of a noir thriller, but
the plot he has cooked up is overloaded with half-baked cliches and
easily telegraphed twists and turns.
Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) works as Chief of Police in the
small, bayside Florida town of Banyan Key, where nothing much happens
and he kind of likes it that way. Still going through divorce procedures
with his ex, homicide detective Alex Diaz-Whitlock (Eva Mendes), Matt
has begun a secret affair with Anne Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) behind
the back of her abusive husband, Chris (Dean Cain). When Anne discovers
she is dying with cancer and her only hope is an expensive treatment
in Switzerland, Matt devolves a plan to take $485,000 worth of drug
money from his job to help her escape Chris and have the procedure
done. Before Ann can leave, however, her house is burned down and
two charred bodies are found inside. With the investigationheaded
by Alexkicking into high drive and Matt threatened at becoming the
top suspect, Matt sets out to do everything in his power to clear
his name and return the drug money before it is too late.
As nothing more than an involving, albeit pithy, little thriller,
"Out of Time" is efficiently crafted, ratcheting up a fair amount
of suspense once things get going in the second hour. These scenes,
each set up similarly as Matt attempts to tie up one loose end after
the next as his wife and co-workers come dangerously close to exposing
his secrets, are tautly edited (by Carole Kravetz) highlights. What
they lead up to, however, is alarmingly very little, and the film's
final predictable development is akin to closing a fist on thin air.
The movie does not always treat its characters with the respect and
intelligence they deserve, making way for a storyline that is as shallow
as it is seemingly deceptive.
Denzel Washington (2002's "John Q") could play the role of Matt Whitlock,
a suave lieutenant who finds his neck suddenly on the line, in his
sleep. Washington rarely delivers a disappointing performance, and
this one is no exception, as he must think fast in covering his tracks
and piecing the puzzle together while keeping his cool. This may not
be one of his most challenging projects, but Washington carries the
proceedings off with aplomb. Lending female support, Eva Mendes (2003's
"2 Fast 2 Furious") and Sanaa Lathan (1999's "The Best Man") are saddled
with thankless parts, Mendes as Matt's long-suffering but strong-willed
wife who begins to suspect him of involvement in the case, and Lathan
as the sympathetic temptress. Lathan invigorates her scenes with an
accuracy of human nature, some decidedly dark, but the film betrays
her depth in a by-the-numbers shoot-out climax.
Despite attractive technical credits, including noteworthy cinematography
by Theo van de Sande (2000's "Little Nicky") that paints the Miami
backdrops with precision and snazzy sheen, "Out of Time" is an underwhelming
exercise in standard crime thriller exhibitionism. Its most buoyantly
original moment, set in a hotel room, uses an unlikely dialogue exchange
from a scene in 2001's "Legally Blonde" to speak the thoughts of Matt
and reinforce what has occurred thus far. Otherwise, so dependent
on its plotting that it eventually disregards the characters and forgets
to remind the viewer why they should even care, the film never digs
beyond its skin-deep roots. There are occasional tense moments to
be had, and director Carl Franklin knows crafty showmanship, but they
are at the service of a hopeless story that goes nowhere really fast.
Copyright © 2003 Dustin Putman
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