Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

morrison-dylan-fan With a poll soon to be held on IMDb's Classic Film board for the best titles of 2003,I started to search round for an 03 Neo-Noir title to view for the year.Struggleing to find any interesting sounding Neo-Noirs from 03,I suddenly remembered a wonderful review that I had recently read on IMDb's Film Noir board,which led to me discovering,that I was thankfully not out of time,to view a Neo-Noir from 2003.The plot:Celebrating a successful arrest which led to a large gangs dirty money being captured,small town cop Matt Whitlock decides to mark the occasion,by spending time with his mistress Ann Merai Harrison.Stopping any sense of fun for either of them,Harrison is told that she has cancer,and that she only has 5 months to live.Originally planning to use her medical insurance to fund the only medicine that the doctor says may save her life,Harrison is left in shock,when she finds out that her husband (Chris) has changed the insurance,so that the only way anyone can get to the cash in Ann's name,is if she dies.Furious by the corner which his lover has been placed in,Whitlock decides to take the only option on the table:stealing the dirty money from the police station,and giving it to Harrison so that she can afford her medicine.Along with her medicine cash,Whitlock also arranges for Harrison to change the details on her insurance,so that Whitlock can get hold of the cash and give it to Harrison,behind her husband's back.Arranging to meet up with Harrison later that night, (in order to sort out the insurance details) Whitlock instead receives an emergency call about Harrison's house being on fire.Rushing to the scene,Whitlock discovers that he has signed up for a far from risk-free insurance,when the remains of the burnt out house reveal no sign of the Harrison's or the dirty money.View on the film:For the screenplay of the movie,writer Dave Collard combines Neo-Noir with crime caper elements,with the Neo-Noir smoke being scatted as Whitlock begins to relies about what murky dealings he has got himself involved in.Despite the plot having a number of clear flaws, (how did none of the other cops spot the phone number!) Collard uses the movies crime caper side to give the title a delightfully playfully edge,with Whitlock having to go from dodging eyewitnesses to jumping out of windows,in the hope of keeping the Harrison's disappearance and the dirty money loss under wraps.Shooting on location in Miami,director Carl Franklin (who would not direct a film again for 10 years!) perfectly matches Collard's tones by soaking the movie in warm pastor tones which gradually darken as Whitlock sinks deeper into the Neo-Noir world.Along with the eye- catching colours,Franklin also uses sharp whip-pans to superbly show the desperation that is starting to take a hold on Whitlock.Smashing his Clark Kent glasses to the ground,Dean Cain gives an excellent performance as Chris Harrison,with Cain splattering a wide smirk across Harrison's face,as he becomes increasingly suspicious over his wife and Whitlock's activities.Joining a wonderfully smooth Denzel Washington,John Billingsley delivers a fantastic performance as the only cop who will try to stop time running out for Whitlock.

vincentlynch-moonoi The question here is who is the bad guy...who is the badder guy. And who is going to win. It's that simple.Denzel Washington is the chief of police in a small town along the Florida Keys. He has $450,000 in drug money in a safe...the booty from a drug bust that is both local and federally related. He is getting divorced from his wife, a homicide detective (Eva Mendes), and is currently dating a young woman played by Sanaa Lathan, whose husband (Dean Cain) is a security guard. Lathan has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Denzel decides to give her the drug money to buy experimental cancer drugs, instead of turning it over to the feds. After doing so, her body and her husband's body -- and the money (?) -- are apparently found in their burned out house. Circumstantially, Denzel will appear guilty, and in part he is, but not of murder. And then the discoveries begin -- a fake doctor and a very alive supposedly burned to death couple.In terms of plot, what I like about this film is that the twists and turns begin early on, not just near the end...and they seem logical instead of convenient. BUT -- as Denzel gets almost caught over and over and over and over and over, you finally begin to say, "Too much." So, the plot is just a bit too much, but the performances make up for that. Denzel is as solid as ever here, and it's interesting how the director let the 5 o'clock shadow grow during the darkest period when we begin to wonder just how bad a guy he really is. Although the two female leads will never be favorites of mine, they both did very well here -- Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan. Dean Cain, who I feel is an under-appreciated actor -- does well as one of the villains, though he doesn't get a lot of screen time. John Billingsley is interesting as the best friend of the chief.Every movie has its flaws, and this film is no exception. Nevertheless, it's a decidedly good suspense film and I recommend it.

gregeichelberger Originally published on Oct. 3, 2003.I wanted to like Denzel Washington's newest film, "Out of Time," I really did. After all, he's a fine actor - one of the best working today. His performances in movies like "A Soldier's Story," "Glory," "Malcom X," "The Hurricane," "Training Day," and others have earned him two very deserved Academy Awards in five nominations.His work in MGM's latest venture, directed by Carl Franklin ("High Crimes," "Devil in a Blue Dress"), however, is not likely to be so recognized.I did have high hopes, though, after the catchy, jazzy, Caribbean-scored opening credits and the introduction of Washington as Police Chief Matthias Whitlock, the head of a small force that protects the sleepy little enclave of Banyan Key, outside of Miami.We also meet - in the course of his nightly rounds - his old high school flame, Anne Merai Harrison (Sanaa Latham), married to a violent jerk and ex-NFL quarterback, Chris Harrison (Dean Cain, "Lois & Clark" TV series), but having a torrid affair with the chief.Whitlock is also married - conveniently enough to a homicide detective in his own department, Alex (Eva), but she has filed divorce papers, so it's really okay to fool around with Harrison.When he discovers that Anne has terminal cancer and needs money for a series of radical treatments in Switzerland, however, Whitlock decides to throw away his career and $485,000 confiscated in a recent drug bust to help her out.This is just the first step in an ever-winding mystery which has at its center murder, arson, shootings and other assorted violence and mayhem. It also seems that Whitlock is the number one suspect in these crimes and he has to solve them before anyone else finds out.The problem here is that despite all of this conflict, none of it seems to hold the viewers' interest in the least.The peppy score that opened the film has now dissipated into a series of morose tones which help slow the action to a crawl; Washington's usually vibrant acting has been replaced with a key so low one can hardly stay awake long enough to watch him; and the plot twists upon which the movie is anchored now become annoying distractions.The thespian skills of the other cast members needs work, as well. While Latham is fine in her role, and Cain's brute is standard fare, the worst job is done by Mendez.Okay, so she has a great body and all, but NO homicide detective would walk around in slit skirts and skintight blouses on the job - it just doesn't happen. And as for her acting, let's just say she could use a few lessons from any community theater performer anywhere in the world.In other words, she stinks.In fact, the only interesting character is Whitlock's friend, the local alcoholic medical examiner (John Billingsly) who not only provides the sole comic relief, but also seemingly gets his buddy out of trouble time and time again.They say time is precious, but "Out of Time" is just a waste of it.

Spikeopath Out of Time is directed by Carl Franklin and written by David Collard. It stars Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain and John Billingsley. Music is by Graeme Revell and cinematography by Theo Van de Sande.Matthias Whitlock (Washington) is chief of police in little Banyan Key, Florida. Respected for his work and basically honest in the line of duty. Away from work, however, his marriage to Alex (Mendes) has failed, he's having an affair with an abused wife and he likes a little drink on duty. So when his lover Anne Harrison (Lathan) springs on him the shocking news that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, it naturally shakes his world. But this news is merely the start of something bigger, for pretty soon Matt will be in the unusual situation of having to stay one step of his own kind or face dire consequences.It's a film proudly wearing a badge of homage to film noir of the 40s. In fact it very much plays out as a contemporary riff on John Farrow's excellent Ray Milland starrer of 1948, The Big Clock. But that's fine, especially when you have some knowing craft in front and behind the camera in the shape of Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress) and Washington (take your pick here really!). Yet as great as Franklin and Washington's work is, they all owe a debt to Collard's screenplay. Inventive in how it plays out as a plot, with it's many tight situations laid down for Washington's duped law enforcer to try and get out of, the screenplay has a knack for deft humour, often sly, which is something that even some of the hardest of noirs from the golden era are tinted with. The secret is being able to blend the humour with quality moments of suspense, and this picture manages to do that with some interest.Film also benefits greatly from the tight atmosphere created by photographer de Sande. Sweaty Florida in daylight doesn't cry out as being a good starting point for an offshoot of film noir (real Florida locations were thankfully used), but the scenic beauty is never realised during the drama sequences, colours are toned down, even for a stunning red sky, and this perfectly becomes at one with a near frantic Washington as the tricksters of Banyan Key start to close in on him. It's nice too see, also, interracial couples forming the core of the story, while the dominance of sexuality is firmly given a shrewd work over by director and writer. There's good thought gone in to making this, enough to steer it away from charges of just being a faux neo-noir production.Problems? Yes, a few. Inevitability of outcome is hard to shake off whilst viewing it, especially for those well versed in the genre (sub-genre). Clichés and contrivances are stacked up like a pile of cop thriller 101 books, and Franklin goes smug (daft) by dropping in a couple of slow frame sequences that the film clearly didn't need. While the big showdown in the finale lacks a gut punch. But this is a good viewing, sexy at times and always eye catching, it also pleasingly chooses perky dialogue over action to make its dramatic point. The cast around Washington enhance the quality: Lathan in the tricky role shows a number of layered gears, Cain is imposing as a bully boy husband (where did this Cain go?) and Billingsley almost sneaks in and steals the movie as the loyal and stoic comedy side-kick.So pesky flaws aside, this is a good recommendation as a night in movie for those with a kink for contemporary neo-noir. 7/10