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Out of Time

Out of Time

List Price: $14.95
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Denzel Washington fills in the holes for this thriller
Review: 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."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Highly Entertaining Denzel Suspense Thriller
Review: Crisp direction by Carl Franklin and a wonderful leading man performance for Denzel put this high on the short list of best pulpy thrillers that have been made in the last ten years or so. Everyone in the cast is strong acting wise particularly Eva Mendes who plays Denzel's ex-wife in the the film...Or is she? Dean Cain also the delivers the goods as an abusive husband. What really makes this film though for the predictablility that can be found in the plot (this is definitely a storyline we have seen many many times before) is how solid the suspense is...The shots, the editing, Denzel's acting, the pacing...It gets pretty nailbiting at times in the middle of the film. This is definitely a film worth owning in my humble opinion because it is just so much fun to watch...It has a little bit of everything. You can't say that about a lot movies. Loses one star for the very cheesy dialogue at the very very end of the film. But by that time the movie has already delivered everything it should have so don't let it bother or get to you as a viewer.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good whodunnit
Review: Nice to see Denzel Washington go low key. OUT OF TIME is a terrific little movie for viewing at home - nice Florida Keys setting, good acting by Washington, Eva Mendes, Saana Latham, John Billingsley (especially), and Dean Cain (at long last in a bad guy role). This little potboiler has more to say about 'coincidence', misplaced trust, moral integrity or lack thereof, and the power of relationships to endure a lot of bruising than it has substance to drive a big story. What begins as a smalltown police chief weazling his way around another man's wife while still holding feelings for his own estranged 'new detectice' wife becomes a snappy stroll through the ins and outs of fraud, theft, lies, and murder. A great movie it is not, bu OUT OF TIME holds its own in the current DVDs available. And it is nice to watch Denzel Washington just do some ensemble acting. He is very good at it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I Expected More
Review: I am a huge fan of Denzel Washington; whenever he stars in a movie I am compelled to see it. However, I was not totally mesmerized with the plot. Nevertheless, Denzel is such a great actor until it becomes easy to overlook the not so perfect story for his talent.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Predictable Neo-Noir with a Few Real Thrills.
Review: In the small, oceanside Florida town of Banyan Key, Police Chief Matthias Whitlock (Denzel Washington) has gained notoriety from a big drug bust, but a recent separation from his wife has dampened his spirits. So Whitlock has an affair with an old school friend, Anne-Merai (Sanaa Lathan), who is now married to an abusive former pro athlete (Dean Cain). But his attempts to help Anne-Merai turn to disaster when it appears that she has been murdered and Whitlock's estranged wife Alex (Eva Mendes), now a homicide detective, is assigned to the case.

"Out of Time" is director Carl Franklin's latest foray into the quasi-noir genre. His earlier noirs include 1995's "Devil in a Blue Dress", which also starred Denzel Washington, and 2002's tepid "High Crimes". "Out of Time" is good-looking and reasonably entertaining, but too predictable to be anything more. It has a rehashed noir plot. And the story's conclusion becomes obvious as soon as the murder has been committed. Every twist and turn the film takes is immediately recognizable, because it borrows so much from so many noirs, going all the way back to 1944's "Double Indemnity". Like "Devil in a Blue Dress", this film's plot elements resemble the pre-1958 noirs more than those of neo-noirs. Unlike "Devil in a Blue Dress", "Out of Time" doesn't have brilliant cinematography, political intrigue, or period allure...or Don Cheadle. And our protagonist, Police Chief Whitlock, does stupid things. Thrillers are always more effective and intriguing when the hero plays it smart. What "Out of Time" does have to admire is a very effective middle act. The scenes in which Whitlock senses that he will be blamed for the murder and tries to conceal his involvement with Anne-Merai create real tension. There's a great scene in the police station in which Whitlock frantically attempts to hide his cell phone activity. And Denzel Washington effectively conveys his character's panic when he realizes what has actually happened and how much trouble he is in. So this isn't a bad film. There's just nothing special and certainly nothing original about it. It has an attractive cast and locations. And it has a few edge-of-your-seat moments. Recommended as a rental.

The DVD: Bonus features include an audio commentary by director Carl Franklin, a "making of" documentary with interviews, character profiles, 2 outtakes, screen tests for Sanaa Lathan and Dean Cain, an image gallery, and a theatrical trailer. The audio commentary is decent although Franklin gets off topic sometimes, and I wish he had included more about the film's production design. The "making of" documentary is average, and I would skip the rest of the extras if you are not a hard-core fan. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French. Dubbing is available in Spanish and French. Unfortunately, there are some unavoidable previews before the main menu.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Out of Time" is Worth Your Time and Dime
Review: Denzel Washington, for one more time, shone like a bright star in a cloudless night. This movie, from the beginning to the end, keeps you at the edge of your seat primarily for two reasons: first, the movie is jam packed with captivating/unforgettable scenes and, secondly, the originality of the story leaves you little or no room at all to predict the next outcome---making you, thus, so much absorbed.
"Out of Time" definitely is worth both your time and dime.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Definitely one of my favorite movies.
Review: Personally, I think this film is underrated. I think we go to the movies for three main reasons: to enjoy an adventure that probably is unbelievable (of all types), to laugh, or to relate to something we experience. Out of Time is the first one, and it takes us on a wonderful adventure that is arguably the best of its kind.

Fictional Banyan Key, Florida's chief of police Mathias Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is secretly having an affair with his high school sweetheart Ann-Marie Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) behind her abusive husband Chris's back (Dean Cain) since his own marriage with Alex Whitlock (Eva Mendes) is near divorce. But when he finds out that his beloved Ann has cancer and the operation is too expensive, he decides to take action by giving her drug evidence money that is stored in his office. Why not? The money has to be in his custody for a certain period of time, so what's the problem?

After Mathias gives her the money, she doesn't show up at his house like he told her too. The next morning, her house is on fire, and the police have declared it double homicide. And guess who's got her first case? That's right. His ex-wife, a newly promoted detective. Now Whitlock must not only protect himself and avoid detection, he must find out the true criminals of the case. What begins is a fantastic display of Whitlock working and sweating to erase all the evidence, half a step ahead of the police, and two steps behind the real puppetmasters.

If you don't like pure suspense thrillers, or maybe this movie doesn't sound appealing to you, then I thought I'd mention the best supporting character (perhaps the best character in the film), Whitlock's best buddy, a medical examiner named Chae (John Billingsley). Simply put, Chae is hilarious, as a slobby, greedy, sarcastic friend, who tones down the tension of the movie with his laugh-out-loud jokes. If not for any other reason, rent this movie for the simple humor of Billingsley in his role as Chae.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A good thriller but a small movie for Denzel Washington !
Review: After watching TRAINING DAY, i just expected Denzel Washington in great and difficult roles. OUT OF TIME is not bad but it's not a huge performance.The plot is alright even if I guess easily what it will happen next.It's quite predictable and I found it was close to "NO WAY OUT" released longtime ago (1987) with Costner and Hackman for those who remember this flick.The worst thing is the last scene at the end that is quite useless and laughable in my opinion.A little movie with a big star !

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Blah!
Review: I love Denzel & everything, but I was not impressed with this movie @ all...actually went to see this in the theaters the first week. Somebody on the radio was mad that it came in @ #2...when it should've been #1{in her opinion} She needs to be happy it was in the top 5.

It only gets 2 stars cause of Denzel & Eva.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Contrived, yet nail-biting, fun thriller
Review: This may be a contrived, at times implausible one-time viewer, or one you dust off for a rainy day when you'd rather stay inside, but it's still fun to watch, with enough twists to keep you wondering just enough so that you are interested in how Denzel Washington's character will get out of each predicament. It's a throwback to the movies of the 1940s/50s, where style, mood, atmosphere were placed above plausibility. The characters may be stock (from Washington's and Eva Mendes' to Sanaa Lathan's and Dean Cain's), but as Washington's life seems to spiral out of control, the movie keeps you gripped onto your chair, and doesn't cheat you at the end. Washington, as usual, elevates what could have been junk in lesser hands into something entertaining, fun and most importantly, watchable. It does have some corny, highly unlikely turns, but those just keep the fun wheel turning. Led by Washington, all the actors turn in appealing turns, most notably Cain as the sneering husband, and Lathan as the abused wife.


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