Out of Time
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Movie Reviews of Out of Time
Movie Review: Denzel turns laughable plot into a white-knuckle thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
I have always thought very highly of Denzel Washington as an actor. His Oscar-winning roles in "Glory" and "Training Day" are quite compelling. Some of his roles where he failed to win an Oscar (or even be nominated), such as "Malcolm X", "Courage Under Fire", and "The Hurricane" are even more impressive. Yet, though there are many actors who, given good material, can perform quite well, the true mark of a great actor is their ability to elevate a bad material and lousy script and make it a totally watchable movie. Denzel is just such an actor. As many times in his career as he has delivered tour-de-force performances in excellent movies, he has also managed to make a number of poor films enjoyable. Some of the turkeys he has been a part of include "Ricochet", "Virtuosity", "The Preacher's Wife", and this 2003 entry "Out of Time". In each case, these films contain laughable characters, wildly over-the-top plot twists, and poor dialogue. Yet, Washington manages to elevate these films (he did have an assist from Russell Crowe in "Virtuosity") to a level of campy, popcorn fun. Denzel's latest, "Out of Time", would be an utter failure in the hands of a lesser actor. The generic title and wildly implausible script could easily assign this to most critics' and moviegoers' non-descript pile. Yet, the presence of Denzel Washington makes this film very enjoyable and allows the audience to overlook flaws in the film.
The film takes place in a sleepy Florida town where Matt Lee Whitlock (Denzel Washington) serves as its police chief. Aside from a very notable drug bust that he was involved in, the only other drama in Whitlock's life comes in the form of his impending divorce from his wife Alex (the sexy Eva Mendes), a federal agent, and his affair with the wife, Anne Marie Harrison, (Sanaa Lathan) of a former NFL quarterback and current wife-beater, Chris Harrison (Dean Cain in a sleazy turn that will stun the fans of "Lois and Clark"). While Matt laments the ending of his marriage, he seems to be pleasurably distracted by his involvement with Anne Marie until she tells him that she has cancer and may only have a few months to live. She needs a radical medical procedure involved in Europe, but doesn't have the money to pay for this expensive procedure. Matt, in a moment of emotional weakness decides to pull the evidence money from the drug bust from his safe and give it to her to pay for the procedure. Of course, not long after he does that, the Harrison's house goes up in flames as a result of arson and both Anne Marie and Chris are presumed dead. Now, with the money gone and feds unexpectedly breathing down his neck for that evidence, Matt's soon-to-be ex, Alex, returns to town to investigate the arson. Realizing that almost all of the evidence points to him, Matt begins a panicky race against time to find out what really happened while covering the clues that could indict him.
"Out of Time" has quite a bit working for it. The South Florida atmosphere, very attractive female leads, and white-knuckle tension give this film a lot in its favor. It should be mentioned that Matt's sidekick, medical examiner Chae (played by John Billingsley of "Star Trek: Enterprise"), provides wonderful comic relief to prevent this film from overdosing on the tension. Of course, the implausible scam concocted to defraud Matt of the evidence, the ludicrous plot twists at the end, and dialogue that is slightly less than Shakespearean are strikes against the film. As alluded to before, had this been in the hands of a lesser actor, this movie would not have been worth seeing. Fortunately, Denzel once again rides to the rescue of a film and, in this case, elevates it to a four-star thriller.
Movie Review: Out of Time - A fairly good suspense/thriller film!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Out of Time" is a great movie and truthfully, it is a very rare case that Denzel Washington picks a bad script. The only reason I took one star off of this movie is the predictability of the overall plot. Despite that predictability, "Out of Time" is a movie that is well worth your time for the intensity of the suspense factor alone; is he guilty, will he be found out; which way is this going to go, are just some of the things that goes through your mind when watching this wonderful film that is well worth taking the time to watch and enjoy!Denzel Washington performs brilliantly in this film, as he does with every film he shows up in. This is probably the first film I've watched that had Dean Cain in it and for the role he's in, he does a very good job. I believe the only other film that I've seen Eva Mendes in is "Training Day," another exceptional Denzel Washington film, and her performance was dead on the mark for the role in which she plays. Another newcomer, Sanaa Lathan, an actress whose work I've never seen before, proves with this movie that she's one to look out for in future films. For "Star Trek Enterprise" fans, John Billingsley shows up in this film and performs quite well, in a role that seems extremely befitting for his personality.
This is the first film that I've watched with Carl Franklin as the director and I would definitely have to say that I was impressed with the film, despite the predictability factor and any future work by this director should be looked forward to. The score works perfectly for the film, greatly enhancing the dramatic feel of this thriller.
The Premise:
Welcome to small town America, Banyan Key, Florida where Police Chief Matt Lee Whitlock (Denzel Washington) finds himself in a sordid relationship with Ann Harrison (Sanaa Lathan), who just happens to be "married" to Chris Harrison (Dean Cain). The intensity of the film heats up pretty soon as there is what "appears" to be a murder and the most likely murderer seems to be the chief of police himself...
What follows from there is a film that is somewhat predictable but still quite intense and enjoyable as you follow Denzel Washington's character going through the motions caused by the situation he's found himself in.
I would definitely recommend this film to any and all who are fans of fairly well scripted, suspenseful thrillers and for the fact that one of Hollywood's best actors in Denzel Washington is in the lead role. {ssintrepid}
Special Features:
-Audio Commentary by Director Carl Franklin
-"Out of Time: Crime Scene" Featurette
-Character Profiles
-Outtakes
-Screen Tests: Sanaa Lathan & Dean Cain
-Photo Gallery
_Original Theatrical Trailer
Movie Review: Takes Too Long to Get Going, But Fun Movie Nonetheless
Summary: 4 Stars
'Out of Time' tells the story of a police chief in a small town in Florida. Chief Matt Whitlock, played by Denzel Washington, is in the middle of a divorce and also in the middle of an affair with a married woman stricken with cancer. Whitlock has a pristine reputation, but when his girlfriend's seemingly only chance to beat cancer slips away for financial reasons, he makes a morally questionable and illegal decision to help her. Shortly thereafter, his girlfriend and her husband turn up dead in a house fire, and all signs point to Whitlock as the culprit.
The real strength of the movie comes from the characters and Whitlock's attempt to stay one step ahead of the investigation. Washington, as usual, is excellent. His performance makes the viewer want to like him and pity him for the mess he has gotten himself into. John Billingsly, as Whitlock's sidekick medical investigator, is also excellent. His character is a little more willing to bend the rules, and 100% loyal to Whitlock. Eva Mendes, as Whitlock's estranged wife that is investigating the murders, Sanaa Lathan, as Whitlock's girlfriend, and Dean Cain, and Whitlock's girlfriend's husband, also turn in decent performances.
This is a suspense movie. As Whitlock raced to stay one step ahead of the investigation, I found myself on the edge of seat to see if he could pull it off. Washington really sold the suspense with a wonderful portrayal of a man that was cool and collected, but on the verge of a nervous wreck at the same time. Whitlock's tricks were clever and made sense (you'd probably find yourself doing many of them in a similar situation).
There are a few problems with the movie. One, the setup for the movie takes entirely too long. It takes about thirty to forty minutes to really get into the plot. A few people I watched the movie with had given up on it by then. Second, the movie does seem a little implausible on the whole. The scheme that surrounds the problems Whitlock finds himself in seem overly complicated and elaborate for the scope of the crime. Not to mention, everything pulls together a little too neatly and is wrapped up a little too tightly.
Overall, it is worth a viewing. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars, but since that is not an option, it seems more deserving of 4 than 3. I'd recommend the movie to Denzel Washington fans and those that enjoy a good suspense story. Just be prepared to wait out the opening and to suspend your disbelief.
Movie Review: Denzel Washington fills in the holes for this thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
Having Denzel Washington as the star of this 2003 film is a saving grace because for the most part the audience is way ahead of the main character in "Out of Time." Washington plays Matt Lee Whitlock, the chief of police in the small town of Banyan Key, Florida, and gets himself in a situation where if the water is not over his head he has to be breathing through his eyelids. All of the trailers I saw for this movie had emphasized the idea that Whitlock is being framed, so with that much of a heads up it is impossible not to see this freight train coming down the tracks on top of the chief. But you can discover the details for yourself.Once it hits the fan there are only two questions. The first is whether Whitlock can figure everything out and do something about it before he gets nailed by homicide detective Alex Diaz Whitlock (Eva Mendes), who just happens to be the chief's estranged wife and who serves him with a divorce petition before things get really interesting. The second has to do with the actual level of involvement in the proceedings of one key player (again, this will be obvious when you watch the movie). Even though the set up is clear, the mystery is how Whitlock is going to get himself out of this one, assuming, of course that he will (but he is played by Denzel Washington, so are assumptions are leaning that way). Again, I was ahead of the curve on a couple of key points, but then I have become so adept at picking up the clues screenwriters use to set things up in their films.
"Out of Time" is one of those films where the star and his performance are enough to forgive a lot of the film's shortcomings. This is not to say that Washington is alone in his efforts. I liked the relationship between Whitlock and Chae (John Billingsley), the local medical examiner and resident oddball who becomes the one person the chief can trust; they have some pretty good shtick going at several points in this film. Then there is Dean Cain, who turns in Superman's cape to play a bad guy; he and Washington have a great scene in a bar where they tell each other everything but admit nothing (compare it to the second audition scene of Cain's to see what choice bits of dialogue were added to the final version). The end result is enjoyable enough for a one time viewing, but not a keep unless you have everything Washington has ever done all the way back to "Carbon Copy."
Movie Review: Out Of Time Review
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought this was a good movie, again not perfect or oscar material like some of other Denzel washington work, but still enjoyable. Washington is Cheif Matt Whitlock who at the beginning makes some very bad mistakes that come back to haunt him. As he and alex (eva mendes) were on the verge of getting a divocere, he has an affair with ex-girlfriend Ann (sanaa lathan who has been in flicks like (blade, love and basketball, and Brown Sugar). This was Matt first mistake. His second mistake was when Ann went to the doctor and supposedly has cancer, decides to become the beneificary for her life insurance policy. His third mistake was stealing money for a sting operation to help pay for Ann to have surgery. Chris Harrison (Dean Caine) who was a mean and suspicious husband used this cancer situation to his advantage and get back at Matt. How does he do it? Supposedly, the Harrison's house was set on fire and they were supposedly killed. Matt last mistake was when he and Ann were supposed to meet to pick up the drug money when over to the house, where some people saw him and believed he was the culprit for this act of arson. Just like the Negotatior (the movie where Samuel L. Jackson had to prove he did not kill his partner and find out who did), Matt was indeed running out of time before all sources were to point toward him. Of course his soon to be ex-wife who involved in the case. Matt found out some interesting things concerning Ann. He found out the doctor that she saw with him is not a real doctor and that her real doctors have reported that she has always been in good health. While Matt was at the station, he lied, evade and did everything a deseperate man would do to save himself. He does have a confortation with the fake doctor and does find the Harrisons. He then finds out what all was going on. Chris might have been behind the whole plan but Ann did some role in it as well. Alex ends up coming to the aid to keep him from being killed by both Harrison's and they do get back together. Overall it was a well told story and had some interesting twists and turns in the movie. Everybody played their characters really well. I think it's worth checking out!