I went to see Out of Time yesterday. Been seeing some pretty decent reviews and, while his movies may not always be great, Denzel is almost always worth watching (Training Day, for instance, was a deeply flawed movie, but his performance in it was impeccable—no surprise he won an Oscar for it). Since I had time to kill and it’s one of the films NOT on Dani’s “must see” list, I figured I’d check it out.
Now, keeping in mind that one of the reviews I read described it as “…an entertainingly deft sleight-of-hand thriller…” I have to say that I expected something… more. Not that it’s necessarily a bad movie (god knows, after this past summer, I’ve seen many worse!). It’s just that it was so damn obvious.
Maybe, as I smirkingly remarked above, I’m simply too smart for movies lately. Maybe, as I’ve been griping for months now, the trailer’s to blame and it simply gave away too much of the story. Or maybe it’s just that they did such a great job of channeling Body Heat in the opening moments of the movie that there was no hope of my NOT figuring it out. But the main twist of the story—the big reveal, as it were—was so painfully obvious in the first damn scene of the film that, when it was finally revealed in the climax of the film my only reaction was “how could you not KNOW that, you idiot?” Hardly the reaction the filmmakers could have been hoping for, I’m sure.
Then, when you add in some of the clunkiest exposition I’ve ever seen (the introduction of the GPS location system that plays such an important part in the climax of the film was SO obvious it might as well have had a sign on it that said “pay attention! This is important stuff!”) you get a movie for which the word “deft” can really only be used ironically.
Likewise, the potentially interesting dynamic of his soon-to-be ex-wife running the investigation that will expose Washington’s character simply fizzled, probably because there’s never any real passion evident between the two. Well, except the first scene, where you can see just how angry he is with her. But we never see the love that he talks about so often throughout the film. It’s the old “show-it, don’t tell-it” adage in action.
And let’s not forget the annoying “look at the cool stuff we can do with computers these days” moment when Washington’s character needs to edit a fax to hide implicating evidence. I understand this is pure techno-geek annoyance, but I’ve used the kind of software that he’s using to do those edits and, unless it’s gotten a HELL of a lot better recently, it is quite possibly the most absurd computer moment in film since Jeff Goldblum brought down an alien invasion with a Macintosh.
I do have to admit, though, that there was one thing I really did like about the movie. And I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, since it’s one of the most cliché characters I’ve ever seen. But John Billingsley’s Medical Examiner/Chief’s Best Friend/Obligatory Geeky Techie type was genuinely funny and I found myself honestly laughing at some of his moments.
But, Billingsley aside, I really can’t recommend it much. Might be a good rental, though I’ve probably given away enough now that you’ll probably have the same problems I did as far as any surprises in the story. But hey, maybe I’m doing you a favor. Save the time to go and see something good instead. Go see The Rundown (I know, it's The Rock… but he's FUNNY! Really!) Or School of Rock (Jack Black saves a potentially predictable and formulaic story from itself). You'll thank me for it.
Now, keeping in mind that one of the reviews I read described it as “…an entertainingly deft sleight-of-hand thriller…” I have to say that I expected something… more. Not that it’s necessarily a bad movie (god knows, after this past summer, I’ve seen many worse!). It’s just that it was so damn obvious.
Maybe, as I smirkingly remarked above, I’m simply too smart for movies lately. Maybe, as I’ve been griping for months now, the trailer’s to blame and it simply gave away too much of the story. Or maybe it’s just that they did such a great job of channeling Body Heat in the opening moments of the movie that there was no hope of my NOT figuring it out. But the main twist of the story—the big reveal, as it were—was so painfully obvious in the first damn scene of the film that, when it was finally revealed in the climax of the film my only reaction was “how could you not KNOW that, you idiot?” Hardly the reaction the filmmakers could have been hoping for, I’m sure.
Then, when you add in some of the clunkiest exposition I’ve ever seen (the introduction of the GPS location system that plays such an important part in the climax of the film was SO obvious it might as well have had a sign on it that said “pay attention! This is important stuff!”) you get a movie for which the word “deft” can really only be used ironically.
Likewise, the potentially interesting dynamic of his soon-to-be ex-wife running the investigation that will expose Washington’s character simply fizzled, probably because there’s never any real passion evident between the two. Well, except the first scene, where you can see just how angry he is with her. But we never see the love that he talks about so often throughout the film. It’s the old “show-it, don’t tell-it” adage in action.
And let’s not forget the annoying “look at the cool stuff we can do with computers these days” moment when Washington’s character needs to edit a fax to hide implicating evidence. I understand this is pure techno-geek annoyance, but I’ve used the kind of software that he’s using to do those edits and, unless it’s gotten a HELL of a lot better recently, it is quite possibly the most absurd computer moment in film since Jeff Goldblum brought down an alien invasion with a Macintosh.
I do have to admit, though, that there was one thing I really did like about the movie. And I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, since it’s one of the most cliché characters I’ve ever seen. But John Billingsley’s Medical Examiner/Chief’s Best Friend/Obligatory Geeky Techie type was genuinely funny and I found myself honestly laughing at some of his moments.
But, Billingsley aside, I really can’t recommend it much. Might be a good rental, though I’ve probably given away enough now that you’ll probably have the same problems I did as far as any surprises in the story. But hey, maybe I’m doing you a favor. Save the time to go and see something good instead. Go see The Rundown (I know, it's The Rock… but he's FUNNY! Really!) Or School of Rock (Jack Black saves a potentially predictable and formulaic story from itself). You'll thank me for it.
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