Out of Time [DVD] [2003]

Denzel Washington is Matt Whitlock, Sheriff of Banyon Key, FL. His wife Alexandra (Eva Mendes), a Miami homicide gumshoe, has moved out and is getting the divorce papers processed. In the meantime, the sheriff finds solace in the bed of Ann (Sanaa Lathan), the abused wife of jealous Chris (Dean Cain), a local morgue security guard. Paradise begins to unravel when Ann reveals that she has terminal cancer and six months to live. After an unsuccessful attempt to convert a million dollar life insurance policy into the cash needed to fund experimental cancer treatment in Switzerland, Ann makes Matt the beneficiary, and the latter "loans" her five-hundred grand in impounded drug money, evidence in a stalled criminal investigation, that's currently on ice in the sheriff's safe. The night after Ann takes possession of the swag, she and her husband are apparently murdered in their home, which is then torched. Alexandra is assigned to the case. Meanwhile, the cash has disappeared; Matt is identified by a non-reliable witness as the suspicious person skulking outside his paramour's home the night of the crime; and the local DEA chief has phoned to say that he's sending two of his heavies over to take possession of the drug money. Fancy dancing is in order if Matt is to stay out of Deep Bandini.

The plot becomes more incredible with a compressed time frame that demands that Matt extricate himself from his mess over two 8-hour work shifts. Alexandra doesn't even have the time to change out of a gloriously short and tight miniskirt and high heels, in which outfit she manages to kick down a locked door. (At that point, my wife leaned over to whisper, "Do you know what would happen if one really tried that?" Perhaps she has a secret life I don't know about?)

This isn't Washington's most memorable performance. But, since Denzel is one of Hollywood's most appealing actors, who cares? Matt spends the entire latter half of the film looking like a deer mesmerized by approaching highbeams while teetering on the edge of an abyss. Alexandra is constantly giving him that hard look familiar to guilty husbands everywhere that implies the question, "Is there something you want to tell me?" The Final Confrontation, which takes place in the familiar milieux of rain, darkness, and a creepy abandoned structure, does benefit from a satisfying plot twist.

OUT OF TIME is a better than average entertainment vehicle.

Denzel Washington plays Matt Whitlock, a police chief in Banyan Keys, FL who has been abandoned by his wife recently and is involved in a relationship with Ann, a married woman. Everything goes well until Matt finds out that Ann has cancer, which was in remission but has come back with a vengeance and she has only six months left to live. The only option to prevent this is to try experimental procedures that are extremely expensive. In the meantime, Ann finds out that her husband has increased the life policy they had bought for her to $1,000,000. The final piece of the story is that Matt made a bust of a drug dealer and has $485,000 sequestered for evidence in the safe in his office.

In this setting, one imagines that the story will develop according to one of the usual formulas, and it surely does. The movie, however, is very well done, with passages of high intensity and great performances, which compensate in part for the plot "defects". One final aspect that I liked is the photography; I usually do not expect to find high quality in this area in a thriller, but in this case the scenery makes this task easy to accomplish. Evidently, this movie is not a masterpiece, but it will serve it purpose if you are looking to relax and have a good time.