Out of Time
Starring: Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa LathanDirector: Carl Franklin
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release: May 4th 2004
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DVD Review
Partly inspired by 1948's The Big Clock and its nominal 1987 remake No Way Out, the Denzel Washington thriller Out of Time is quite enjoyable if you ignore its implausible plotting. Like those earlier films, this reunion of Washington and his Devil in a Blue Dress director Carl Franklin is about a man--in this case the police chief (Washington) of sleepy Banyan Key, Florida--who falls into a trap set by others, sinks into legal quicksand of his own making, and must race the clock to extricate himself from a series of incriminating setbacks. The Florida setting adds welcome character to the potboiler plot, and Washington's screen-cred makes it easy to overlook the absurdities of rookie writer David Collard's screenplay. Eva Mendes is sharp and sensible as Washington's estranged wife (do you think they'll reconcile for a happy ending?), and the talented John Billingsley--whose portrayal of "Dr. Phlox" on TV's Enterprise is vastly underrated--is a constant delight as Washington's medical examiner, beer buddy and wily co-conspirator. It's hardly a classic, but Out of Time goes well with a big tub of popcorn. --Jeff Shannon
User Reviews
Out of Time - Rating: 5/5
If you like Denzel Washington, I think this is one of his best movies yet. He is sexy, and so is his co-stars. The movie delivers great action, suspense and surprises at the end.
Good plot but a horrible movie - Rating: 1/5
I saw this in the theater back when it came out and remember hating it. As I write my review, I am shocked at some reviewers that are calling it a hitchcockian thriller. ??????????
Is that a joke? Whatever it is, it's an affront of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchock is the king, and I've seen some movies take great influence from him but this is trash. Denzel of course gives another good performance, but this movie is horrible!
It ends out being a lame, PREDICTABLE (HITCHCOCK MOVIES AREN'T PREDICTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and plain bad executed movie. Eva Mendes does a nice job also and she's always nice to look at.
As for the plot, it's about a cop (Washington) having an affair with a woman. He illegally gives her money when she has a health probelm. Then she dies mysteriously as well as her mean husband. And somehow, all of the evidence is pointing towards the cop. Guess what. DENZEL IS OUT OF TIME!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, PERIOD. So, whatever you do, please ignore this trash. I only fear I'm too late. So, please, don't do the same mistake I did, by wasting away 2 hours of my life. So do something else productive with those hours, even spending all of that time eating one pretzel is better than watching this. Well, besides Eva Mendes.
Good, But It Had Even Better Potential - Rating: 3/5
Matt Whitlock, chief of police for the sleepy little south Florida town of Banyan Key, has a big problem. Whitlock (Denzel Washington) has taken $500,000 in drug money from the evidence room at police headquarters and given it to a woman he's been having a passionate affair with, Ann Harrison (Sanaa Lathan). Harrison has learned that she has aggressive cancer of the lungs and liver; a trip to Europe for expensive alternative therapy is her only hope. Her husband, Chris Harrison (Dean Cain), is a thug who's a security guard for the town's hospital. Ann Harrison works out a $1 million life insurance policy on herself and names Whitlock the beneficiary. He is sure that one way or another he can replace the money before the drug case will ever come to trial. Then three things happen. Both Ann and Chris Harrison are burned to death, beyond recognition, when an arsonist sets fire to their house. Second, Whitlock's estranged wife, Alex (Eva Mendes), who is divorcing him and is a homicide detective, is given the double murder. And third, the drug case becomes active and Federal agents want all the evidence, including the money. Everything starts to point at Whitlock as the probable murderer. It's only a matter of time before his wife lines in the dots. To prove his innocence he has to stay one step ahead of his wife and one step ahead of the Feds. And he has to move a lot faster than the real bad guys, once he figures out who they are.
This is a movie that has a lot going for it. The locale looks great. Banyan Key is a place with big trees down main street, seedy houseboats and crab shacks. It's a place that's hot in the daytime and sweaty at night. Denzel Washington as usual turns in a performance that's shrewd and likable. The plot is nicely convoluted, even though it relies on some things falling into place a little too conveniently.
What's not to like about it? For starters, the screenplay. There's too much exposition and too little energy. It took a long time, it seemed to me, before the plot started cooking. None of the characters, even Washington's Matt Whitlock, grabbed me sufficiently to care much about them, and the villains weren't very engaging. The casting also, for me, had a major flaw. Eva Mendes is a good looking woman, but at least in this movie she shows a limited acting range. She just couldn't make her character the kind of smart, skeptical, strong woman who might have given Washington a run for his money. Their scenes together seemed to me to be conventionally Hollywood stuff.
To see Washington play a first rate police chief in a movie with a lot of charm and energy, check out The Mighty Quinn. To see a movie starring Washington and directed by Carl Franklin that hits all burners, check out Devil in a Blue Dress. Out of Time, for me, is pleasant to watch, but maybe not one to keep. The DVD has a number of typical extras such as outtakes, screen tests, "making of" feature and so on. The DVD picture looks great.
Doubly Excellent. A thrill from start to finish - Rating: 5/5
When I got this movie, I was really looking for MAN OF FIRE, but made a mistake with a very happy ending, which is that I got to see TWO excellent movies, rather than just one.
I absolutely LOVED this film in which there was plenty of thrilling action accompanying fine acting and a good story.
More than most contemporary works, this movie IS what it claims to be, and MORE. An aptly told story with shooting and stuff blowing up, all for some very good reasons. I was glad to see Denzel Washington doing something so far removed from his many other roles.
Keeping in mind all DW's previous roles, which are all very highb row, this film and "MOF" make the very well-timed transitional roles between everything else and TRAINING DAY, which was just totally over the top, in a good way! Perhaps no other actor's catalogue shows such a logical and visible depth and growth and direction.
You MUST SEE this movie. Remember, the later film, Man On Fire, is also extremely good.
4.5 stars? - Rating: 5/5
Out of Time is about a drug busting cop who is caught in a plot. He has an affair with a girl who turns out to scheme for his money. She tells him she has cancer, and that the treatment she needs costs a lot of money. Denzel takes the drug-bust money and gives it to the girl, but the girl, along with a few accomplices, flees and sets him up for murder through arson. Denzel finds himself in a big pile of mess. He must get the money back and somehow get himself out of all the trouble.
This movie has kept me at the edge of my seat. My eyes, literally, could have be taken off the screen. As great as the movie is, it is kind of predictable. Still, I recommend it to everyone. Very enjoyable and thrilling!
