Out of Time
(MGM Region One DVD)
(2003)
review by Head Cheeze

The title of Carl Franklin's Hitchcockian thriller, Out of Time, refers to it's main character's race against the clock, but it's also a fairly accurate description of the film itself. A MacGuffin filled, lighthearted suspense flick, Out of Time embraces the classic devices of 1940's and 50's cinema, and even goes out of it's way to keep things clean enough for a PG-13 rating without sacrificing a bit of what makes for a good solid thriller. It's the kind of film no one makes anymore, and, after watching it, you'll realise what a shame that is.

Matt Whitlock (Washington) is the respected chief of police in the small Florida town of Banyan Keys. Recently separated from his wife, Alex (Mendes), Matt has an, at first, purely physical affair with Ann Marei (Lathan), whose abusive ex-football star husband (Cain) is seemingly oblivious to. As Matt and Ann Marei get closer, the young woman tells Matt she's dying of a rare form of cancer, and she and Matt visit her doctor looking for alternative methods to treating her. Sadly, the only options are experimental procedures overseas that are just too expensive for Ann Marei. However, Matt knows how he can get the money, as a huge drug bust has left several hundred thousand dollars in cash sitting in the Banyan Keys Police Department evidence locker. Matt assumes it will be sitting there at least until the case goes to trial, and figures that the dirty money could be put to good use until he can figure out a way to replace it.

Meanwhile, Ann Marei's husband, Chris, learns of his wife's affair with Matt and she fears for her safety. Ann Marei wants Matt to go away with her for her treatment, and help her get away from Chris, so Matt gives her the money and tells her to meet him at the police station when he gets off work. When she doesn't show up, Matt stops by her house to see if she's okay, and, as he's spotted prowling around the yard by a neighbour, the whole house goes up in flames with Ann Marei, Chris, and the money still inside.

To make matters worse, the DEA requests the money from the evidence locker, while Matt's estranged wife, Alex (who is now a detective for the Metro Dade police) is put in charge of the apparent homicide of Ann Marei and Chris.

As the evidence piles up against Matt, he begins to notice that things aren't what they seem, and begins an investigation of his own. He's only got a few hours in which to solve the case, return the stolen money, and keep Alex, the DEA, and the rest of his own department chasing their own tails until he can clear his name.

Out of Time is a very taught and extremely entertaining thriller that calls to mind classic Hitchcock as well as the steamy southern crime drama, "In the Heat of the Night" (sans the racial overtones). Washington seems to be having a blast with this film as his Whitlock struggles to rectify a decision he now knows was dictated by both passion and a need to love someone other than the estranged wife he's still crazy about. Director Franklin starts the film off with a very deliberate pace (that, to me, seems like a metaphor for the slow moving life of the denizens of Banyen Keys) and then ratchets up the tension exponentially as the film rolls headlong like a dynamo to it's explosive finale.

The thing one will notice about Out of Time is the fact that it's a very "tame" film in terms of sex, violence, and language, with only a couple of steamy (yet unrevealing) love scenes at it's outset. Otherwise, this is a film that could have easily played at theaters forty years ago with very few concessions. It's rare in this day and age to market a film like this without an R-rating, seeing as how this isn't the sort of film that teenagers would flock to, just as adults aren't prone to seek out "steamy suspense" films that are PG-13. I certainly had my doubts as to how this film would translate to adult audiences without the requisite gore and skin that's been associated with this sort of "steamy thriller", but it works fine without it. The script is solid, the acting above par, and just a glimpse of Eva Mendes provides more steam than a sauna. Factor in a lot of unexpected twists and turns, and you've got one of the best examples of this genre to come along in, literally, decades.

The DVD from MGM features a gorgeous widescreen anamorphic transfer, full-length feature commentary, a behind the scenes featurette called "Out of Time: Crime Scene", screen tests, outtakes, photo galleries, and more. It's a solid package even though the majority of the supplements don't add up to more than thirty minutes of extra material.

Out of Time is a fantastic surprise that fans of classic suspense films will embrace if given the chance, and, now that it's on DVD, I have a feeling this film will find itself a very willing audience. Highly recommended.