"Out Of Time" is full of excitement, danger and suspense and although its rather intricate plot is very familiar in nature, it's totally gripping from start to finish. Inspiration for the story was obviously drawn from all those film noirs about a guy who makes a bad decision which gets him into a fix and then has to race against time to prove his innocence. The significance to the story of a life insurance policy is reminiscent of "Double Indemnity" (1944) and the presence of a hapless man who's involved in an investigation where he knows that all the evidence is certain to point to his guilt, brings to mind "The Big Clock" (1948). There's even a scene in a hotel where Denzel Washington is unable to leave by the main exit because of all the activity in the foyer and this replicates a very similar situation in "The Big Clock" where Ray Milland is confronted by the same type of problem.
This movie very successfully combines its themes of adultery, larceny and murder with action sequences, amusing plot twists and a good deal of humour to produce some terrific entertainment. The photography and direction are top class and the locations used contribute greatly to the sultry atmosphere of the whole piece.
Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is the Chief of Police in the small town of Banyan Key, Florida. His wife is in the process of divorcing him and he's involved in a passionate affair with Ann Merai Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) who used to be his childhood sweetheart. She's married to Chris (Dean Cain) a violent ex-pro football player who frequently beats her but also conveniently works in the evenings as a security guard.
Ann asks Matt to accompany her when she visits her doctor who tells her that she's terminally ill with cancer and only has a few months to live. The only possibility of a better outcome is if she's able to undergo some expensive experimental therapies which are only available in Switzerland. As Ann is in no position to afford this option, Matt decides to let her have $485,000 of drugs money which is kept in his office safe to be used at some future date as evidence in a trial and in return, Ann makes Matt the sole beneficiary of a life insurance policy which is due to pay out $1,000,000 in the event of her death.
A little while later, Ann's house burns down, two charred bodies are found inside and the money's gone. Tests indicate that the fire was started deliberately and so an investigation is set up to discover who was responsible for the double homicide. This puts Matt in a real tight spot because he knows that he'll become the main suspect if it comes to light that he is the sole beneficiary of her insurance policy. Just to make matters worse, there's a neighbour who reports that she saw him outside Ann's house on the night of the fire, his estranged wife Alex (Eva Mendes) is the homicide detective assigned to the case and the DEA suddenly demand the drugs money which is needed urgently to be entered as evidence in an important trial that they're prosecuting.
Denzel Washington is excellent as the fall guy who has to suppress the evidence he doesn't want to be uncovered whilst also trying to hunt down the real culprits before it's too late. This involves him in some exciting chases, a dangerous struggle on a hotel balcony and some tense situations such as when he intercepts the records of Ann's telephone calls so that he can delete the entries that relate to his calls before Alex scrutinizes the documents. Despite the things that he does wrong, Matt remains a sympathetic character throughout. Washington is naturally charismatic and handles all the aspects of his role with supreme skill and conviction.
There are also some good supporting performances with Dean Cain being impressively menacing and John Billingsley providing both charm and humour as Matt's sidekick.
This movie very successfully combines its themes of adultery, larceny and murder with action sequences, amusing plot twists and a good deal of humour to produce some terrific entertainment. The photography and direction are top class and the locations used contribute greatly to the sultry atmosphere of the whole piece.
Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is the Chief of Police in the small town of Banyan Key, Florida. His wife is in the process of divorcing him and he's involved in a passionate affair with Ann Merai Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) who used to be his childhood sweetheart. She's married to Chris (Dean Cain) a violent ex-pro football player who frequently beats her but also conveniently works in the evenings as a security guard.
Ann asks Matt to accompany her when she visits her doctor who tells her that she's terminally ill with cancer and only has a few months to live. The only possibility of a better outcome is if she's able to undergo some expensive experimental therapies which are only available in Switzerland. As Ann is in no position to afford this option, Matt decides to let her have $485,000 of drugs money which is kept in his office safe to be used at some future date as evidence in a trial and in return, Ann makes Matt the sole beneficiary of a life insurance policy which is due to pay out $1,000,000 in the event of her death.
A little while later, Ann's house burns down, two charred bodies are found inside and the money's gone. Tests indicate that the fire was started deliberately and so an investigation is set up to discover who was responsible for the double homicide. This puts Matt in a real tight spot because he knows that he'll become the main suspect if it comes to light that he is the sole beneficiary of her insurance policy. Just to make matters worse, there's a neighbour who reports that she saw him outside Ann's house on the night of the fire, his estranged wife Alex (Eva Mendes) is the homicide detective assigned to the case and the DEA suddenly demand the drugs money which is needed urgently to be entered as evidence in an important trial that they're prosecuting.
Denzel Washington is excellent as the fall guy who has to suppress the evidence he doesn't want to be uncovered whilst also trying to hunt down the real culprits before it's too late. This involves him in some exciting chases, a dangerous struggle on a hotel balcony and some tense situations such as when he intercepts the records of Ann's telephone calls so that he can delete the entries that relate to his calls before Alex scrutinizes the documents. Despite the things that he does wrong, Matt remains a sympathetic character throughout. Washington is naturally charismatic and handles all the aspects of his role with supreme skill and conviction.
There are also some good supporting performances with Dean Cain being impressively menacing and John Billingsley providing both charm and humour as Matt's sidekick.