Out Of Time (2003)

  Plot Summary

Matt Lee Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is the Chief of Police in a small community in the Florida Keys.  He is separated from his wife and having an affair with a married woman.  Things get even more complicated for Whitlock when there is a double homicide in the area and all the evidence points to him!  He's in a race to solve the crime before his colleagues do, and that includes his wife who has just made detective...

Review

After a slow start things get more interesting and the pace of the movie quickens.  The first thirty minutes show Whitlock getting himself into a bit of a mess!  Then, with the evidence of a double homicide pointing to him, he has to keep one step ahead of his colleagues (literally at times!).  There is quite a bit of humour in the movie which is a good thing because there isn't enough suspense or tension for this movie to be a completely straight crime thriller.  It is funny watching Whitlock running around trying to "get the toothpaste back in the tube" (not an easy thing to do!).  It is fascinating to see if he can "save his neck" before he runs out of time. 

There are a few obvious flaws in the movie.  Firstly, there are one or two major holes in the plot which, when you think about them (and it's better if you don't) just don't add up!  Secondly, there are a few twists and turns in the movie but most can be predicted and are not terribly surprising.

Denzel Washington's performance does a lot to help this movie.  When his character struggles to turn the attention of the investigation away from himself,  he looks like a desperate man losing control of the situation.  At one point he "loses the head" and stamps someone's mobile phone into the ground.

Eva Mendes (2 Fast 2 Furious) plays Whitlock's estranged wife.  She is young and beautiful and has just been promoted to detective.  It's bad enough being the suspect in a double homicide but when your wife is the detective in charge of the case it doesn't get much worse!

Lasting thought: It worth remembering that it's a lot easier to get into a mess than out of it!

Bottom Line: Plenty of flaws but well paced, interesting and quite funny.

Reviewed by Niall Quinn, Premier Movie Reviews 2003

Genre: Police murder crime

Certificate: 15's

Director: Carl Franklin

~ Main Cast ~

Denzel Washington

Eva Mendes

Sanaa Lathan

Dean Cain

John Billingsley

RATING

WORTH A WATCH