Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003

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Jack Valenti's tenuous grasp on reality aside, I often wonder what the MPAA is smoking that makes them come up with the movie ratings they choose. Of course, I am not the first critic to ponder over the Hollywood mindset that says that we must Protect The Chullldrin from viewing movie sex...but hey, blood n' guts is a-ok. Still, one has to wonder if Out Of Time director Carl Franklin has any better a grip on reality; specifically, when filming Hot Monkey Love scenes. Because, yeah, whenever I get some Hot Monkey Love, I always remain fully clothed. Uh huh. THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is Chief of Police in Banyan Key, Florida; a town small enough that he would check the doors of businesses to make sure they're locked (yet, apparently, big enough that the five or so people in his department would need to use a GPS to keep in contact). Being as they're in Florida, it's not overly surprising that Whitlock's crew made a big drug bust, recovering thousands of dollars in the process. Teasingly, Chay (John Billingsley), Matt's friend and town Medical Examiner, suggests the two men could make good use of the money. Good cop that he is, Whitlock turns Chay down. Whitlock is a good cop, but he's doing a not-so-good thing: he's having an affair with Anne Marie Harrison (Sanaa Lathan), who's married to Chris (Dean Cain), a disgruntled and abusive ex-football player. Matt's problems with women don't end there: he's also at odds with his estranged wife and fellow cop, Alex (Eva Mendes). But all of this is a cakewalk compared to what happens when the Harrison's house is burnt to a crisp, along with two dead bodies inside - and Matt becomes a prime suspect. THE UPSHOT Fully-clothed Hot Monkey Love scenes notwithstanding, I found Out Of Time to be a welcome throwback to the days when movies intrigued you with their style and sense of purpose (even if that purpose wasn't always fully achieved). To this end, director Franklin injects Out Of Time with style galore. As he did in Devil In A Blue Dress (which also starred Denzel Washington), Franklin and his cinematographer bathe the audience in the atmosphere of their subject's environment (small-town Florida, in this case). Not that all there is in Time is a smooth sense of style. Franklin, along with writer Dave Collard, do a good job of letting us know in rich detail who the players are, early on, so that one is not left wondering who these people are later in the movie. This is a welcome change from most movies these days; I tire of getting 90 minutes into a movie, without even knowing the names of some relatively important characters. Time, thankfully, fills you in right off the bat. And what a group of characters they are. Denzel Washington is, as usual, good as the flawed, but well-meaning, Chief; Sanaa Lathan is as sultry as ever; Dean Cain (and his handsome beard) makes a surprisingly good antagonist; and though Eva Mendes was fairly wasted in her role, she at least put the brakes on just shy of uberBitch. But John Billingsley stole the show from them all. As Chay the frumpy Medical Examiner, he humorously commanded every scene that he was in; effortlessly, from all appearances. He has the presence of a Jack Black or a Paul Giamatti, and I wouldn't be surprised if Billingsley's cache as a character actor, isn't heightened because of his turn in Time. I have a bone to pick with the folks behind this movie, though: why give it such a trite, neat ending? Talk about losing touch with reality! I can't say much more than that without spoiling the movie, so you'll have to visit the 3BC "Viewer Voices" ™ webboard for the rest of this rant. But don't let my aforementioned bone-picking deter you from seeing Out Of Time. Franklin, Washington, and the rest blend style and story into a well-balanced (though a bit far-fetched) movie. Clothes and all. BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE You won't see anything earth-shatteringly new in this film; in fact, don't be surprised, when watching Out Of Time, if you're reminded of the Kevin Costner/Gene Hackman flick, No Way Out. But from where I sit, that's A Good Thing. OUT OF TIME:   back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Review™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/