Out of Time (2003)

MODERN NOIR DONE RIGHT
One problem it seems that many movies offer today is when the trailers, or previews as some call them, turn out to be so much better than the actual movie. You watch one of these and decide that it's worth investing the time and money in, only to discover that the best parts were in that trailer and the movie as a whole stinks.

Once in a while, the opposite holds true. You see a trailer and decide that the movie couldn't be any good so you pass it by, waiting for it to show up on television or cable. When you finally do you wonder why it was that they didn't try and let you know before hand just how entertaining this movie actually was. Such is the case with OUT OF TIME.

Denzel Washington stars as Matt Lee Whitlock, the police chief of a small Florida town. At present, he is in the midst of an affair with Ann Harrison (Sanaa Lathan), an old high school flame and the wife of ex-high school rival Chris Harrison (Dean Cain). It seems that Chris now beats his wife and Matt was reintroduced to her in response to the call two months back.

At the same time, Matt is going through a divorce with his wife Alex (Eva Mendes), a detective in a much larger nearby city. It seems that their jobs have come between them and both have decided to move on.

The plot develops as Matt learns that Ann has cancer that only an expensive treatment can cure. With no money to speak of, he takes money being held in evidence for the DEA and gives it to her to seek help, expecting it to be paid back before it is needed when she can trade off on her insurance policy.

The plan changes when a fire engulfs Ann's house and two bodies are found. Evidence of arson is discovered. And shortly after that, the bodies are identified as not those of Ann or Chris. Matt has been set up from the get go and if he doesn't work quickly, will become the lead suspect in a double homicide and insurance scam.

Matt stays one step ahead of the detective assigned to the case, his soon to be ex. But he can't hold back certain evidence forever. And as each piece is uncovered, Matt if brought closer to the true criminals behind the whole scheme. One false step will lead to his arrest and conviction.

The pacing of this movie is what makes it work. Scenes that could be drug out forever are set up so as to hold you in suspense and not make you refer to your watch every few minutes. The plotline develops over time (though much of it could have been discovered in that same lame trailer) as do the clues that offer Matt a chance to redeem himself.

Washington does what he does best. He turns in another great performance as the beleaguered police chief who falls for the wrong woman. As I stated in a previous review, the proof of a great actor is one who while watching never makes you think that he/she is acting. Washington does that in all of the roles he has done to date.

The supporting casts also turn in fine performances but the film never quite focuses on any of them. Yes, their characters are important to the story. But each seems more of a small piece of what is going on as opposed to Washington who takes center stage from beginning to end.

Like the film noir of the past, this movie offers a lead character that is the hero and yet flawed at the same time. Done wrong by a woman he seeks a way out. For many this may seem like an overused plot device. And some of the events that happen, including things Matthias does to obstruct the investigation, may appear on the surface to be far fetched. But the thing is it isn't real life, it's only a movie. And as a movie, it offers a great mystery and entertainment value through and through.

Out of time

I really like the movie. The packaging is a different story. When I got the movie "Out of Time", the cover was damaged and the cd was not fixed secure in the package and was sliding around inside of the case.

I was not sure I could return it and get another due to the fact that I had opened it.

Effective simple thriller
A simple thriller in which a woman is used as a piece of bait to get some drug money from a gullible cop who believes he is in love with her. The final twist is not what we could have hoped, but it sure is convincing about the dumbness of cops or even men when they get infatuated with love. But the interest of the film is essentially in the hectic chase-escape of one cop after-from another cop who happens to be his-her wife-husband. One thing is sure: as soon as a woman appears within his eye-range he loses all rational common sense and starts seeing butterflies landing on his nose. But it is funny and entertaining.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines