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October 3, 2003
By Veronica Mixon
In Out of Time, the re-teaming of Denzel Washington
and Carl Franklin definitely seems to
be a good fit in this nail-biting thriller
about a morally challenged man who learns
an important lesson about love. Washington
plays Matt Whitlock, the police chief
a small costal town in Florida who is
estranged from his wife, Alex (Eva Mendes).
Even though he clearly loves her, nevertheless
Whitlock carries on a sultry affair
with Ann (Sanaa Lathan), the wife of
a creepy ex-pro football player (Dean
Cain). Whitlock has trust issues with
his ambitious wife because she's taken
a job as a homicide detective in nearby
Miami. In the town of Banyan Key, he's
the man. He's in charge. Alex is definitely
as sexy as Ann but her career aspirations
clash with Whitlock's view of marriage.
Ann is the long- suffering wife of a
jerk who turns into a willing submissive
sexual partner when Whitlock comes a
calling. So, when he discovers that
Ann has cancer, Whitlock doesn't hesitate
to help her with $480,000 cash he's
holding from a big drug bust. Naturally,
something goes terribly wrong.
It's incredibly entertaining to watch
Denzel Washington squirm as it slowly
dawns on him that his choice to help
Ann has placed him in jeopardy. Furthermore,
Alex is sent down from Miami to help
him with the case and spends most of
the movie trying to stay one step ahead
of his cops and her. Out
of Time is reminiscent
of the Kevin Costner thriller, No
Way Out because neither protagonist
can escape being presser cooker of an
intense investigation that points to
him as culprit. Whitlock's trust issues
rear their ugly heads and bit him on
his rear end!
Ten years ago, Carl Franklin stunned
critics and audiences with a superb
sleeper One False Move
and he's been struggling to get his
proper footing ever since. "Out
of Time is a nifty crime
drama with routine plot turns and an
intriguing cast that gives strong performances.
The erotic tension between Washington
and the lovely Sanaa Lathan is a present
surprise. Washington has always been
billed as a sex symbol but has rarely
displayed this side of his acting. Lathan,
who is best known for Love and Basketball
and Brown Sugar, is ready for
a meaty adult drama and hopefully she'll
get a chance to show audiences what
she's capable of doing. Also, good is
Eva Mendes who played Washington's wife
in Training Day.
Out of Time
has an ending that audiences can guess
half way through the film but the journey
that Washington takes and his squirming
is what will entertain you.
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