There are times when several movies are released in a short time frame. That usually happens during the summer months. People are only able to see so many movies at the theater, especially during the opening weekends that studios consider to be so important, so some movies end up not making very much money. Some good movies sometimes end up getting over looked. Out of Time was released in the summer of 2003 and overlooked by many people. I do remember seeing previews of it and wanting to see it, but I wasn’t able to. If I remember correctly, it didn’t even come to the one theater here in my town.

Matt Whitlock was the chief of police for a small south Florida town. He was involved in an affair with Ann Merai Harrison. They had dated in high school, but both married other people. She had married Chris, a football player. He had been cut from the professional team he was playing for, and the two moved back home. She and Matt started their affair soon after that. The two men didn’t like each other. Matt was separated from his wife Alex. She was a police officer in Miami. She had just been promoted to homicide detective. Her career had caused some problems in the marriage.

Ann Merai received some bad news. She needed a lot of money, and had no way to get it. She was also afraid that Chris was plotting to kill her to get the life insurance money. He had increased the amount of the policy without her knowledge. Matt had recently busted a drug ring and had several hundred thousand dollars locked up in the safe at the station. He said that the money had to stay in his possession through the appeal process of the case. He decided to take the money and give it to Ann Merai. They were going to meet that night and leave town together. She didn’t show up. Later that night her house caught on fire.

Two bodies were found inside the house and the fire was ruled arson. Alex was sent from Miami to head the investigation. She was going to work out of the local police station. Matt hid the fact that he had been having an affair with Ann Merai. He and Alex learned things during the investigation that proved that Ann Merai had lied to him. On top of everything else, Agent Stark from the DEA called. The DEA wanted the drug money immediately.

CAST

Denzel Washington - Matt Whitlock
Eva Mendes - Alex Diaz Whitlock
Sanaa Lathan - Ann Merai Harrison
Dean Cain - Chris Harrison
John Billingsley - Chae
Nora Dunn - Dr. Donovan
Terry Loughlin - Agent Stark

Out of Time was directed by Carl Franklin. It was released in theaters during the summer of 2003. It is 105 minutes long and rated PG-13. It should be all right for older kids to see if they are interested in the movie. Younger kids would probably be bored by what was going on. The movie is available on VHS and DVD.

Out of Time was a mystery. Things weren’t as straight forward as they seemed at first. After the house fire, I did suspect that something else was going on. I wasn’t exactly sure what at that point, and some things happened that I didn’t expect. There were several scenes that had suspense in them. There were some predictable things that happened as well. I figured out a few things, but there were still other things tied into what was going on that I didn’t figure out. The movie kept my interest. It didn’t bore me. Most of the movie took place during one day. It was fast paced, but it didn’t feel rushed. There was some violence in some scenes of the movie. There were some fights and some shootings. People did end up dead. The movie wasn’t extremely violent, though some people may consider it too violent.

Out of Time was a serious movie. There was some action in some scenes, though I didn’t really consider it to be an action movie. I think it was more of a mystery/drama with some action. Matt had to deal with a lot of very serious stuff throughout the movie, most of it after the fire. He was trying to figure out what happened while keeping himself out of trouble. There were a few things here and there that happened that were funny. Most of the funny things were said or did by Chae, John Billingsley’s character. He was goofy and the mood lightened whenever he turned up. I really liked his character.

Ann Merai and Matt were having an affair and married to other people. Matt and Alex were separated, but there was still some attraction between them. Things weren’t resolved with their relationship and there was tension between them. Ann Merai and her husband Chris didn’t seem to have the best relationship. They argued and Chris was abusive at times. Ann Merai wouldn’t leave him because she said he needed her. The romantic relationships figured into what was going on throughout the movie. Matt and Ann Merai were sneaking around since she was still married, but Matt kept quiet about it to Alex, even before everything fell apart. There were sex scenes in the movie between Matt and Ann Merai, but there wasn’t any nudity in the scenes. A little bit of skin was shown, but there were no bare backsides and Ann Merai wasn’t shown topless. There were only a few of those scenes in the movie. People who are offended by sex scenes in movies may want to pick a different movie.

The acting in Out of Time was good. Denzel Washington was great in his part. I have seen him in several movies before, and I’ve always enjoyed his performances. He is a talented actor, able to believably portray many different types of characters. He was very believable as Matt. This character was worlds away from the one Denzel played in Man on Fire. I could tell what Matt was feeling in different scenes just by the look on his face. I enjoyed John Billingsley’s performance. I didn’t remember seeing him in any other movies before, but when checking, I saw that he had a small part in High Crimes.

Sanaa Lathan and Eva Mendes were fine in their parts. Sanaa Lathan had a small role in Blade. I’ve seen Eva Mendes in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Exit Wounds. I think her part in Out of Time was bigger than the parts she had in those movies. Dean Cain was ok in his part, but he seemed to be stiff at times. I’ve only seen him in a few made for tv movies and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Nora Dunn turned up briefly as someone who was questioned after the fire. She has had some small roles in other movies I’ve seen, including Runaway Jury.

CHARACTERS

Matt Whitlock - Chief of police in a small south Florida town. He was laid back most of the time. He did do things he shouldn’t do, like drink while on duty. He was separated from his wife, though he seemed to still have some feelings for her. He was having an affair. He did things to protect himself that may have compromised a murder investigation.

Ann Merai - She was the woman Matt was having the affair with. She was married, but not happy with her husband. She was scared of her husband, but she wouldn’t leave him.

Chris - Ann Merai’s husband. He had been a football player, but an injury caused him to be cut from his team. He worked as a security guard. He wasn’t happy. He didn’t like Matt, and he treated Ann Merai badly.

Alex - Matt’s wife. She worked for the Miami police department. She had just received a promotion to homicide detective. She was determined to be successful in her career. That caused some of the problems in her marriage to Matt. She could be pushy at times.

Chae - He was the coroner. He and Matt were friends. Chae was goofy at times. He wanted Matt and Alex to get back together. Chae had some ideas of things that Matt could do once things went bad. Chae did what he could to help his friend.

DVD Information

I have only seen Out of Time on DVD. The picture and sound quality was very good. The movie does feature surround sound. There is an auto commentary by the director. I didn’t listen to that. The featurette Out of Time: Crime Scene showed the different actors talking about the movie and the characters. Some of the filming of the movie was shown as well. There were some outtakes, a photo gallery, the original theatrical trailer and the screen tests for Sanaa Lathan and Dean Cain. The DVD didn’t have a lot of bonus features, but the featurette was interesting.

Out of Time was an entertaining, suspenseful movie. It has been overlooked by a lot of people, which is too bad because it is good. Fans of Denzel Washington really should see this movie.

Related Reviews
High Crimes ~ Runaway Jury ~ I Love Trouble ~ Once Upon a Time in Mexico ~ Man on Fire ~



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older