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Back Shelf Beauties
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Out Of Time Denzel Washington is a true legend in Hollywood. Oscar winner, box office draw and one of the coolest guys on screen, Washington has shown us that he can be the hero, the villain, the reformed man, and, now, the conflicted hero in a film noir. Washington plays chief Matt Whitlock - the leader of a small Florida police force that is more accustomed to chasing petty thieves. While he is the police chief, Matt is no angel. His wife, detective Alex Diaz Whitlock (Eva Mendes) is divorcing him, and he's carrying on an affair with a married woman, Ann (Sanaa Lathan). Sadly, she is in an abusive relationship with her good for nothing husband, Chris (Dean Cain), and she has developed a terminal case of cancer. Matt becomes a desperate man who makes a decision that could ruin his career and his life. What has Matt done? Is he in too deep? Anyone who has seen Out Of Time knows the importance of keeping the plot a secret, so I will do my best to keep my big yap shut. What I do want to tell you is that Out Of Time is a flawed, but entertaining movie. Writer David Collard has created a wonderful film noir scenario where the flawed hero (Washington) finds himself making a mistake, giving in to the dark side, and digging himself into a big hole full of trouble. Collard does a good job making Matt a likable character despite his flaws (important in this type of film), and takes us through a plot full of twists and turns that will keep the audience guessing as to what happened. Out Of Time starts slow as we learn all of the necessary information that will help us when the action starts, but, when that action starts, the film becomes a good thriller with plenty of heart pounding moments. I have some problems with the logic of the movie and big disagreements with the resolution, but I can't share them here. After you have seen the film, send me an e-mail at waffle@wafflemovies.com and we can discuss it. Washington is the star, but he also gets some help from a solid supporting cast. He does a great job keeping the material from becoming too over the top and unbelievable by simultaneously grounding it with his screen presence and playing with us when it is obvious that he's in a somewhat funny situation. It's hard to describe, but he equally goes for some laughs and some seriousness in many situations. By letting us in on the joke, we like his character even more, which is important for the role and the movie. Lathan and Mendez hold their own in scenes with the legend as they play tough, sexy women who can put this conniving guy in his place. Mendez especially does a good job as she goes toe-to-toe with Washington as Alex starts to discover the truth. Also, Cain is surprisingly good as the dead-beat husband and macho nemesis to Matt. He is despicable and lets us know it.
Out Of Time has its problems, but not
enough to ruin the fun time you will have. It's worth your time and money
this weekend. Copyright 2003 - WaffleMovies.com |
