Film Reviews

Out of Time

• Rating:
• Director: Carl Franklin.
• Starring: Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain, John Billingsley, Robert Baker, Alex Carter.
• Details: US / 106 mins / (15PG).

Denzel Washington lets his hair down and plays it for thrills in this snappy but ultimately shallow thriller in which he plays Matt Lee Whitlock, a small time, small fry police chief of a sleepy Florida Key town. A man who has never been too interested in being the best cop that he can (he's on the take in a big way), Whitlock is forced to spring into action after a double homicide, including that of a lady he's known rather intimately in recent times. For obvious reasons, the lawman believes that unless he finds the killer(s), it is only a matter of time before the finger of blame is pointed at him. It doesn't really help matters that the officer in charge of the case, Alex Diaz Whitlock (uber fox Mendes) is his estranged wife, while the feds seem determined to gun for him. One of those thrillers which depend a little too heavily on a fairly dubious set of circumstances to be really effective, 'Out of Time' nonetheless has a zippy energy about that is difficult to resist. As technically gifted an actor as he is, it's always refreshing to see Washington just have fun with a role (someone give this man a comedy at once!), which is precisely what he does here, riffing off noir staples with a barely disguised glee and wry sense of humour. Unfortunately after a very promising opening hour, Franklin loses his momentum somewhat, allowing the material to peter out in a messy finale. It whimpers when a roar would have been more apt. You could do worse, though.

Review by Garreth Murphy