mr white-5

OUT OF SIGHT is amazing. It is one of the few films that I have seen which is almost completely truthful to its novel predecessor. I saw the movie, read the book because I was so in awe of the artistic quality, and have decided on one thing. The ending in the book is a much better one than that in the movie.

This aside, the ending in the movie works perfectly, nothing is ruined by a more dramatic showdown, climax, etc.

Clooney himself is on fire. I loved his performance, especially the scene where he tells a duo of fellow prisoners threatening another prisoner in a behind-bars library:"Hey! The sign [QUIET PLEASE] says 'Shut the **** up unless you can't read and don't belong here.' Classic Leonard, even though it was not included in the book. Who really cares if a line like that from a guy like Clooney in reality would get George's pretty face smashed in? It's the classic movie bad guy who's slicker and tougher than he looks line that is just so cool to watch. It continues on the tradition of Chili Palmer in GET SHORTY, especially when John Travolta says ever-so-coolly to a mean looking Delroy Lindo: "Look at me. I'm the guy who's telling you how it's gonna be."

Reading a best-selling novel after seeing the film adaptation of that story is a good idea. I can now say that I thought the novel was better in the fact that its body count was larger and the gore factor played a more important role, but that the ending in the movie was much better, and left me with a better, more resolved feeling.

Billy Bob Thornton brings a great deal of style to the movie, the scene where he asks his brother if he ever feels evil is a powerful one.

The only sour note is the more than occasional monotone narration or rationalization of one of his or his brother's crimes on the part of Bill Paxton.

The direction is great, Sam Raimi never fails to impress, the quick cutaway of an extreme closeup of a fox stealing a chicken is classic, and in many ways startling to the viewer. It uses the element of surprise to scare the moviegoer, which is what Raimi has relied upon for years. Luckily for him, it still works, with the help of an exceptionally erie dramatic score.

What a great film. Any movie that can be advertised to look like a CHEECH AND CHONG-type weed comedy and than turn around to be a stone-cold suspenseful drama is automatically an A+ in my grading book.

Billy Bob Thornton is as usual unbelievably good. I am a huge fan of his work, ONE FALSE MOVE is probably one of the most low-scale thrillers in the history of film, a well-written flick which doesn't rely on cheap thrills for quality and leaves out the shocking violent portion of the film until the last scene. His performance in A SIMPLE PLAN should have earned him more than an Oscar nomination, and SLING BLADE was possibly one of the best indie flicks I've ever seen. He is a talented actor/screenwriter/director and brings a great deal of flair to this movie.

Azaria and Philippe bring good supporting roles as well, and Ted Danson is hillarious as a hot-tempered Mafioso. Lithgow has a small role, but brings interesting twists to the film whenever on screen.

All around I was surprised by HOMEGROWN, for originally I expected it to be a comedy on par with HALF BAKED and DAZED AND CONFUSED, while the only comedy intended in the flick is tongue-in-cheek, the best kind of all.