Out of Time Movie Review:


Director Carl Franklin is probably one of the most under-rated directors working today.

Back in 1992, Franklin’s “One False Move”, which starred a grizzled Bill Paxton, burst onto the scene and made a lot of people stand up and notice. Franklin then returned to the limelight in the 1995 gem “Devil in a Blue Dress” which teamed the director with Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. These films were amazing and cinematic achievements. But after the disappointments of 1998’s tear-jerker “One True Thing” and the 2002’s substandard thriller “High Crimes”, Franklin seemed to be lost to the void.

This brings us to 2003 and his latest thriller “Out of Time”. Franklin has gone back to what he does best by finding a “flawed” hero embroiled in a sweaty crime thriller. And if that wasn’t enough he brings along “Devil” star Denzel Washington for the ride.

“Out of Time” finds police chief Matt Lee Whitlock (Washington) separated from his wife, Alex (Eva Mendes) and sleeping with sexy married woman, Anne (Sanaa Lathan). Anne’s husband, Chris (Dean Cain) is extremely jealous and very suspicious of his wife and Whitlock.

When a fire engulfs Anne and her husband, Whitlock’s life gets a lot more complicated as his estranged wife is assigned to the case. Now Whitlock is running out of time as he must unravel the arsonist murders and solve the case one step in front of his wife. He must do all this and not let his wife find out about his affair or he could become suspect number one.

Franklin really delivers with this quirky, quick-paced and tense thriller. He seems to be in fine form as he able to meld comedic awareness and tense drama without looking over his shoulder. He gets dynamite performances from leads Denzel and sidekick John Billingsley as well from supporting cast members Cain, Lathan and Mendes.

The true staple of a good Franklin movie is his mix of jazz and blues anthems throughout the score of his films. The mix here adds to this films intensity as is seen in the tense scenes which are echoed by seemingly tribal drums. The beating of the drums earmarks those scenes with tone and texture. I can’t imagine the hotel scene without the drums.

What is probably the most surprising of this film is the humor from Billingsley and Washington. Their chemistry being laced with hilarious zingers makes the film not only tense but pleasantly funny without ruining its impact. It’s so nice to see a thriller that isn’t afraid to use comedy.

This is Franklin’s best work since “Devil in a Blue Dress” and will hopefully return the director to the critical acclaim that found him with his earlier works.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

Besides Antwone Fisher, when was the last time Denzel made a film that had a good screenplay? It's certainly not this entertaining but rather weak thriller. Matt Whitlock (Washington) is the police chief in sleepy Banyan Key, Florida, where he's splitting up with his detective wife Alex (Mendes) and having a fling with a sexy housewife (Lathan), who's married to a former football pro (Cain), who's of course a hothead wifebeater. Then Matt makes a serious error in judgement that sets him up as a murder suspect, and it's a race against time as he tries to cover the increasing mountain of evidence, elude some nosey Feds and get to the bottom of a mystery ... all before his soon-to-be-ex wife arrests him!

The plot itself is intriguing as we watch Matt dig himself in deeper, seemingly beyond rescue! And Washington plays it well, as you'd expect. It's nice to see him as a sexy, shady character for a change (although the sex is so chaste and awkward that it would seem childish even on TV). While there's a subdued spark in his relationship with Lathan, there's no frisson at all between him and Mendes. Anything would have helped! As a result, the mercurial Cain emerges as the most intriguing character, despite efforts to shove him into a stereotype at every turn. Meanwhile, the film has a jazzy, almost humorous tone that undermines the potboiler storyline ... and strangely improves it. There's even a comic relief character in Billingsley's goofy medical examiner. Alas, everything smacks of laziness, from cheesy production design to appalling dialog and deeply shallow characterisations (the script's fault, not the acting). Franklin's direction is blandly by the book; we know all the plot holes will be ignored, and that there will be a simplistic resolution to the increasingly complicated series of events. There are some nice twists along the way, but screenwriter Collard never makes the most of them. And without characters we can root for (Matt is so stupid we want him to go down!), it's hard for us to feel anything at all.

Rich Cline

Finding out that his lover Ann (Lathan) has terminal cancer, small town police chief Matt Whitlock (Washington) decides to help her by stealing nearly $500,000 of drug money from the evidence locker to fund experimental surgery. After giving her the money he waits back at his house for her to return with her bags packed, ready to leave the country when he receives a phone call that Ann’s house has burnt to the ground and her and her husband Chris (Cain) are dead. With all the clues pointing to him, Matt is running out of time to clear his name and find out what is really going on.

When ever you see Denzel Washington’s name attached to a movie you can guarantee you are going to get a great performance and Out of Time is no exception to that rule. It is just a shame that the screenwriters have not provided him with anything original to do.

The movie is a predictable, run-of-the-mill thriller that takes us nowhere new but is saved by some engaging performances. Washington is on top of his game as Chief Whitlock. This everyman character is easy to connect with and Denzel’s performance draws you into his plight creating a good level of tension as the events unfold. Eva Mendez continues to make a name for herself as a beautiful lead actress that has the talent as well as the looks. This is a good role for her and she really bounces off Washington whenever they share the screen. Sanaa Lathan is also good as Ann in what could be a breakout part after many small, support roles.

The support is also good. Dean Cain shows that there is more to him than his Superman TV role by taking on a gritty, bad guy. Anyone who has seen TV’s Star Trek Enterprise will know that John Billinsley is a fine actor and he injects some comedy into the tension. He has most of the best lines and steals the limelight every time he graces the screen.

The main problem with the movie is the lack of motive explanation. While it is assumed that greed is the motivating factor for the set up, it is never explained why Chief Whitlock was the target of revenge. Even in the final revelations, the truth behind the plot is not revealed which is a very frustrating factor that is all too common in modern thrillers. Greed is the easy option but $500,000 isn’t that great an amount to ruin someone’s life over.

Out of Time is saved by a good cast putting in some good performances. The twisty-turny plot slightly keeps you guessing until the big reveal and the sugary Hollywood ending but you are left with the feeling that you’ve just watched nothing new, even though it is enjoyable all the same.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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