Out of Time

While staying in a motel in Bandon, Oregon (on the southern coast) over the past weekend, I noticed that the room had a number of DVDs, including "Out of Time". I decided to kill some time watching it, not expecting very much. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

I should identify that the movie has nothing to do with the Rolling Stones' song. Denzel Washington plays Matt Whitlock, a cop in a small Florida town. He's been having an affair with a certain Ann (Sanaa Lathan). Since she's dying of cancer, she's made him the beneficiary of her will. But when she and her husband die in a fire, all evidence points to Matt (you'll understand what I mean if you see the movie). So arises the quandary of how he's going to solve the case and clear his name before it's too late, especially given that his ex-wife Alex (Eva Mendes) is absolutely intent on solving the case.

The movie's real strength lies in the twists and turns that they throw in from time to time. I think that probably the coolest scene is the whole sequence in the police station about halfway through the movie; I would have never imagined any movie having a whole sequence like that! But I actually considered Matt's friend Chae (John Billingsley) to be the best character in the movie; I mean, some of those monologues were so great.

All in all, it's not any kind of masterpiece. But it's better than your average man-on-the-run-has-to-clear-himself story. And if I may say so, Eva Mendes looked mighty fine in some of those outfits!

This is one of the few Denzel Washington movies that flopped. It was just wasn't likable enough to hit a chord with moviegoers. His acting is still fine, but the film as a whole wasn't up to Washington's standards.

Being someone attracted to good visuals, I loved the colors in this film, set in South Florida. The orange-and-greens were beautiful and I enjoyed the music, too. It all elevated the likability of this modern day film-noir for me. Unfortunately, a lot of people were bored with this because it had so little action. That didn't bother me, although I have to admit at one point I began wondering "when is something violent going to happen." Many film noirs were like this, anyway, building up tension until the end.

I still found it pretty interesting most of the way, with a nice twist at the end. It's worth a rental, but not a purchase.

This is yet another cops and robbers whodunit movie. The movie features solid performances by Denzel Washington (as Matt Lee Whitlock) and Eva Menedes (as Alex Diaz Whitlock) playing the separated couple each working their own angle on the crime that occurs. With excellent supporting work by John Billingsley (as Chae, the medical examiner), Dean Cain (as Chris Harrison), and Sanaa Lathan (as Ann Merai Harrison) this movie keeps you guessing until the end.

There are some interesting plot twists at the end of the movie which you may or may not figure out by the end. I think the climax of the movie could have been a little more fluid, but it works and I think its satisfying to the viewers. I found this movie to be above average compared to much of the standard fare that has been offered in 2003, especially, because I didn't look at my watch once during the entire film.

I was expecting some cheesy half-baked effort on all parts, but then again, the film itself took on some twists of its own. Sure, a couple of the twists could be seen a mile away, but it was the way the scenes were cleanly executed to the point where you had to wonder "How is he getting out of this?" While some of the reviews are over the top, this is certainly one of those popcorn movies that I wouldn't mind spending a little dough on. Watch for Denzel and Eva Mendes, enjoy for the tension and the great musical score.

Denzel Washington is a policeman who is "Out of Time" in this 2003 film also starring Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, and Dean Cain.

Washington plays Matt Whitlock, a policeman involved in an affair with the beautiful Ann Harrison (Lathan). Whitlock is currently embroiled in divorce proceedings from his detective wife (Mendes), and Ann is married to an abusive ex-football player (Cain). When Ann is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Whitlock wants to help her. It puts him in the center of a crime investigation with potentially devastating implications.

This wrongly accused/framed man storyline has been used with great success in films such as No Way Out and the film on which it was based, The Clock, and "Out of Time" borrows heavily from these two films. Whitlock has to stay one step ahead of his wife's investigation in order to keep from being accused of one crime, and he has to avoid an agent for whom he's holding evidence in order to keep from being accused of another. How he wriggles out of various situations makes for some good suspense and engrossing viewing.

Washington is excellent as the harried cop, and the film is well worth watching, even though it's easy to figure out past a certain point. Although very derivative, it's highly entertaining too.