Lars Lendale ******************* SPOILERS ******************!!!!!!!!!!Out of time/No way Out. The word "out" sounds awfully similar and there are multiple scenes that are taken from No Way Out. First, you can tell the writers loved that movie (and rightfully so, it's a great suspense movie) and decided to inspire themselves to write a sort of same type of movie. That's why when Matthias gets angry and shouts "just do it !!" that same line is copied off Sam, the operator, who shouts to his colleague "just do it !!". Coincidence ? Not so much, I'm telling you, there are so many elements that are copied off No Way Out, it's ridiculous. The chief befriending the medical examiner and admitting him the plot conspiracy, just like in No Way Out, when Tom admits he's the boyfriend in the polaroid and the investigation is a cover up. At the same time Matthias has DEA goons on his back, just like Tom has Death Squad killers following him to the bathroom. AND, most of all, the action takes place in the same day !! Is it a bad movie ? Yes, for too many obvious No Way Out spin offs. Is it entertaining ? Yes, there is suspense, there is an outrageous fight between Denzell and a con who is plotting against him, but the sex scenes are lame, the cast is a B movie cast, Mendes is good but not great, Washington is very good but the movie is really a TV production that doesn't do him justice. OK granted, there are big productions that are as about as cheesy - but the ending, please, seriously ? In 2003 that's what you come up with ? That's a totally unnecessary ending, that is nice for young girls, but it's really not very good. If you have nothing to watch on a week day evening, then watch it, but other than that, it's forgettable.

morrison-dylan-fan With a poll soon to be held on IMDb's Classic Film board for the best titles of 2003,I started to search round for an 03 Neo-Noir title to view for the year.Struggleing to find any interesting sounding Neo-Noirs from 03,I suddenly remembered a wonderful review that I had recently read on IMDb's Film Noir board,which led to me discovering,that I was thankfully not out of time,to view a Neo-Noir from 2003.The plot:Celebrating a successful arrest which led to a large gangs dirty money being captured,small town cop Matt Whitlock decides to mark the occasion,by spending time with his mistress Ann Merai Harrison.Stopping any sense of fun for either of them,Harrison is told that she has cancer,and that she only has 5 months to live.Originally planning to use her medical insurance to fund the only medicine that the doctor says may save her life,Harrison is left in shock,when she finds out that her husband (Chris) has changed the insurance,so that the only way anyone can get to the cash in Ann's name,is if she dies.Furious by the corner which his lover has been placed in,Whitlock decides to take the only option on the table:stealing the dirty money from the police station,and giving it to Harrison so that she can afford her medicine.Along with her medicine cash,Whitlock also arranges for Harrison to change the details on her insurance,so that Whitlock can get hold of the cash and give it to Harrison,behind her husband's back.Arranging to meet up with Harrison later that night, (in order to sort out the insurance details) Whitlock instead receives an emergency call about Harrison's house being on fire.Rushing to the scene,Whitlock discovers that he has signed up for a far from risk-free insurance,when the remains of the burnt out house reveal no sign of the Harrison's or the dirty money.View on the film:For the screenplay of the movie,writer Dave Collard combines Neo-Noir with crime caper elements,with the Neo-Noir smoke being scatted as Whitlock begins to relies about what murky dealings he has got himself involved in.Despite the plot having a number of clear flaws, (how did none of the other cops spot the phone number!) Collard uses the movies crime caper side to give the title a delightfully playfully edge,with Whitlock having to go from dodging eyewitnesses to jumping out of windows,in the hope of keeping the Harrison's disappearance and the dirty money loss under wraps.Shooting on location in Miami,director Carl Franklin (who would not direct a film again for 10 years!) perfectly matches Collard's tones by soaking the movie in warm pastor tones which gradually darken as Whitlock sinks deeper into the Neo-Noir world.Along with the eye- catching colours,Franklin also uses sharp whip-pans to superbly show the desperation that is starting to take a hold on Whitlock.Smashing his Clark Kent glasses to the ground,Dean Cain gives an excellent performance as Chris Harrison,with Cain splattering a wide smirk across Harrison's face,as he becomes increasingly suspicious over his wife and Whitlock's activities.Joining a wonderfully smooth Denzel Washington,John Billingsley delivers a fantastic performance as the only cop who will try to stop time running out for Whitlock.

jb_campo I thought Out of Time was OK, mostly because of Denzel's acting. In this flick, he portrays a local police chief with questionable morals. He drinks on duty, he plays a bit loose with evidence, and then, there's the women in his life.Eva Mendes looks absolutely stunning here. However, I found her a bit miscast as Denzel's soon-to-be ex-wife, now ex-cop, promoted to Detective. I found her unconvincing as a detective, but give her high grades for effort. I think she just lacked the acting skills to keep up with Denzel.On the other hand, the other woman in the story, Sanaa, she was terrific. She portrays Denzel's high school sweetheart, and I guess they split, but now, she's back in his life. She is apparently dying, and Denzel starts feeling sorry for her, and he does things he shouldn't do to help her. then things get out of control and Denzel is trying to stay one step ahead of the investigation while he's trying to figure out what the heck is going on.His medical partner, Chae, John Billingsley, was also terrific. He has Denzel's back at all times, and portrays this likable, but annoying, gadfly-like character who kind of annoys you, but intrigues you at the same time. Chae plays a real important role at many times in this movie, particularly the end.However, despite good acting, the plot is somewhat thin. Since you know that Denzel is innocent, there's no mystery thinking that maybe he is guilty. See the movie, Gone, where at least you were wondering if Amanda Seyfried was crazy or not. Once you knew Denzel was innocent, it wasn't a big leap to figure out who was behind all this mess. So a weak plot spoiled otherwise strong acting and interesting characters.Based on all these factors, I give it a 6 out of 10. Worth a watch, just adjust your expectations to a B grade movie and you'll be fine.

elshikh4 This is a well-made feel-good cash-in Hollywood thriller, nothing more. In other times, or with other makers, that could have meant "arty" along the way, but this time it couldn't. There isn't anything highly special about it, so I don't think of re-watching it. Even (Eva Mendes)'s beauty won't convince me not ! However, the sole special thing about it remains in the way I look at it. I mean I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love it for having (Denzel Washington)'s presence, (Dean Cain)'s performance, cool landscapes, fresh colors, nice chase sequence, and very tight pace. Sure it managed to be watchable entertainment for 105 minutes.Nevertheless, I have to hate it in the same time. Aside from an ugly sex scene that disgusted me, the movie was so predictable since the first 10 minutes. For the Noir lovers, who watched Double Indemnity (1944) along with its hundred clones through the years, it's too easy to foretell the whole story since the matter of the mistress's dangerous sickness. The movie only abbreviated the intros, turned the dark image of nightly gloomy streets into more colorful scene of diurnal tropical beaches, and focused on the hectic race with time, making a "hot" Noir thriller, but with an obvious story !The endless complications are solved yet more easily at the end. It provoked me utterly seeing the lead getting rid of everything bothered him, just like that, getting all the money, just like that, and getting the girl, good girl, just like that as well, all while sitting still on his boat ! But it's common in Hollywood dreams, and bedtime stories told by hasty parent, to wrap things up naively, cheer the recipient up even if illogically, and end anyhow happily ! Since the get go, (Denzel Washington) smartly designed his career as a cycle of a commercial popcorn flick, followed by a serious Oscar-material film. So after Ricochet (1991) he made Malcolm X (1992), after The Pelican Brief (1993) he made Philadelphia (1993), after Fallen (1998) he made He Got Game (1998), after The Bone Collector (1999) he made The Hurricane (1999), and after John Q (2002) he made as a star, producer, and director Antwone Fisher (2002). That balance insured him more than 2 decades as star and actor, achieving the love of the audience and the respect of the critics. Well, it's axiomatic to figure out to which team (Out of Time) belongs !Here, (Washington) was doing absolutely nothing. You could replace him with a young (Johnny Cash) and not much would happen ! Yes, he's a proficient actor and load of charisma, but he merely did his job, exactly like the movie. I believe that the character he played didn't add anything to him unless more of the commercial presence. Director (Carl Franklin) used to make good movies that deliver the goods. Mostly his lead is worried of searching a lost truth, like in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), with (Denzel Washington) also, and High Crimes (2002). But while being glossily executed, Out of Time remains the least interesting compared to those previous movies. It is an old Noir yet in sunny atmosphere and bright clothes. None of it was great, ending up as predictable, usual and diverting crap. Yet, half of that, namely being a "diverting crap", was a goal the producers planned for and carried out perfectly. As you see, I have to hate-love, love-hate this movie. It hit the mark, while being not a mark itself. But it hit a mark anyway; hence I can't hate it completely. Hmmm, for a final verdict I may say "neat product" or "another thriller". Well, "fair" is always a fair word for a case like this !