Director Carl Franklin is a man to admire. It is a rare occasion in film when movie-goers see a significant jump from the drab, lifeless structure of ordinary movie-making. Very few individuals can pre-package a movie as a suspense thriller and sell it as something quite different. Franklin's finesse comes from his ability to have multiple reasons for seeing a movie, as he demonstrates in "Out of Time."
Denzel Washington stars as police chief Matt Whitlock, the leader of a small police force in one of the Florida Keys, and Sanaa Lathan as Anne Harrison, Whitlock's current flame. The two are caught in a "love-rectangle," as each has a spouse they are cheating on with one another. Matt is currently going through a divorce with his wife Alex (Eva Mendez), and Anne is secretly being abused by her husband Chris (Dean Cain).
The screen ignites when Matt comes over to see Anne and finds that her house is ablaze and she and her husband are still inside. The only person witnessed at the scene of the crime by a next door neighbor, Matt is constantly trying to cover up his tracks to give himself enough time to prove his innocence. A large part of the rest of the movie involves Matt experiencing extremely close calls of being caught, since all the evidence points towardhim, and that his wife - recently promoted to homicide detective - is heading up the murder case. The clock is ticking as Matt must stay one step ahead of his own police officers, and everyone that has thought him to be an honest man.
This movie has two potential audiences. The first being typical weekend-night comedy seekers, who will find more than their fill of racial and gender-specific jokes that poke fun at modern day society. In one scene, where an elderly white woman, upon being asked to identify a perpetrator, systematically points to every black man in the room. There is certainly a substantial helping of social commentary in this scene and others; however, it is latent enough so that the audience can pick and choose how they want their movie-going experience to unfold.
"Out of Time" will also appeal to those suspense addicts you see badgering Blockbuster employees as to where the dated thrillers are to be found.
More often than not, the audience is positive that Matt has been caught red-handed and that the movie will soon end; however, new suspense aficionado Franklin knows his main character better than that. This is the first time Franklin has teamed up with Washington since the staggering release of "Devil in a Blue Dress" in 1995. Franklin knows his man so well that Washington can play the part without having to act. Franklin even understands how to push Washington's buttons when it comes to his love scenes. More provocative than the smoke generated between the gyrating bodies of Matt and Anne is the relationship between Matt and Alex, as their personal history comes to light. Watch out for this scorcher as "Out of Time" explodes into theaters.
