Out of Time (2003/I)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Carl Franklin

Writer (WGA):

David Collard (written by)

Release Date:

3 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you solve a murder when all the evidence points to you.

Plot:

A Florida police chief must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion.

Plot Keywords:

Florida | Miami Florida | Arson | Small Town | Cancer

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Matthias Lee Whitlock
Eva Mendes	...	Alex Diaz Whitlock
Sanaa Lathan	...	Ann Merai Harrison
Dean Cain	...	Chris Harrison
John Billingsley	...	Chae
Robert Baker	...	Tony Dalton
Alex Carter	...	Paul Cabot
Antoni Corone	...	Deputy Baste
Terry Loughlin	...	Agent Stark
Nora Dunn	...	Dr. Donovan
James Murtaugh	...	Dr. Frieland
Peggy Sheffield	...	Judy Anderson
Evelyn Brooks	...	Judy's Mom
Eric Hissom	...	Hotel Clerk
Tom Hillmann	...	Living Gift Salesman (as Tom Hilmann)

Runtime:

105 min | Canada:114 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (2003) | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Boca Grande, Florida, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The movie on the screen in Paul Cabot's hotel room is Legally Blonde (2001).

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Chief Withlock has apparantly been chief of police for quite a long time and Dr. Frieland has been a doctor for 10 years in the only hospital in town. But when they bump into each other they don't seem to know each other, despite the fact that chief Whitlock's picture has been on the front page of the paper. It has to be that Dr. Frieland does not read newspapers or he does not live in Banyan Keys.

Quotes:

Matt Lee Whitlock: Sometimes I think you want me to shoot you, Chae.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Out of Time: Crime Scene (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Joyful Girl

One of the best films of the year -- Denzel strikes again with a powerhouse performance.

I can't remember a really good film noir being made in quite some time. There may have been a handful of good (or decent) film noirs recently, but the bad outnumber them by about 100 to 1.

I went into Carl Franklin's "Out of Time" with a certain amount of interest--I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew that it was a crime thriller/film noir about a guy who gets caught up in some type of crime, but other than that I really had no idea what the film was like. It hadn't gotten extremely good reviews (although most of them were at least positive), and that lowered my expectations a bit. I had finally come to expect a fairly decent thriller with illogical plot holes and a boring pace.

I was wrong.

With a back-to-back viewing of David Spade's "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" and "Out of Time," there was a nice contrast going, which may explain why I enjoyed the film so very much. But there's one thing for certain--it's a lot cleverer than most films of its kind.

Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is running out of time. He's been framed for murder and has to cover his tracks before the clues start to pile up against him. And there are a lot of clues pointing not only in his direction, but directly at him.

Matt is the police chief of a small town in Florida. Nobody suspects him. But he is sole beneficiary on the female victim's life insurance claim. And right before she died, Matt took over $400,000 worth of confiscated drug money and planned to run off with her. Nobody knew they were having an affair because she was a married woman and they were keeping their romantic adventures secret. She made Matt her beneficiary after being diagnosed with cancer--but now she's been discovered dead in a fire with her husband, the money gone, and all the evidence points--as I said before--to him. Fortunately, the police officials haven't picked up any traces. Yet. So, in a frantic race for time, Matt has to cover up all his tracks before the find out.

The doctor who diagnosed her cancer is gone. The money is gone. Matt's ex-wife (Eva Mendes) is bent on finding the killer, and sooner or later she'll figure out that Matt was having an affair, that he had a motive to kill (over 1,000,000 dollars), etc. But will she find out the real truth: That he is innocent?

This stuff's been done before; even I'll admit that. But this time it's great. Everything about this movie works, from the style (with all the vivid brightness of Florida portrayed in films such as "Scarface" or "Get Shorty") to the acting (Denzel strikes again!) to direction (Carl Franlin brings a distinct style to the film). From the opening credits I had a big smile on my face. This was a pleasant twist on film noir.

Admittedly the first half hour is rather slow. I almost came close to giving the film a negative review. But then the chain of events rolled in like a one-two punch; fast, furious, and everything you could wish for in a mystery. And, unlike some films, when you stop to take a look at the plot twists in "Out of Time"...they actually make sense.

Denzel Washington is one of the best actors in Hollywood; he can lift any film out of mediocrity, including that underrated supernatural thriller "Fallen" with John Goodman. He is simply amazing, always able to bring a sense of realism to his roles, and he does this in "Out of Time"--I never doubted his role for a minute. That's pretty rare.

I would say that "Out of Time" is one of the best films of the year. It seems real, with likable characters portrayed by a strong cast, including John Billinglsey as Chae, Matt's best friend who shows up when he's needed the most. In retrospect, a lot of these characters seem pretty typical and routine. But when I was watching the film, it seemed extremely realistic and convincing. That's always a good sign.

"Out of Time" is rated PG-13 for some sexuality, violence, and language. (Re-rated from a mild R after a few scene cuts.)

4/5 stars.

- John Ulmer