Out of Time
February 2004 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

In 1992, director Carl Franklin made a little neo-noir masterpiece called One False Move, currently available on Columbia TriStar DVD. Though generally unknown by the public at large, the movie put Bill Paxton on the map, and was one of those early flicks that indicated that Billy Bob Thornton was destined for great things. Sling Blade was to follow four years later. In 1995, Franklin directed Devil in a Blue Dress, one of the only noir movies to star an African-American actor, Denzel Washington. It was loaded with 1940s period atmosphere and great jazz music.

Now, nine years later, Franklin’s third movie has been released on DVD, again starring Washington and again in the noir genre. Partly, anyhow. Initially, the movie sticks tightly to noir standards, though it adds an underlying comic twist. But at the end, it suddenly goes action-adventure, with a most implausible and pat ending.

Washington stars as Matt Lee Whitlock, the sheriff of Banyon Key, Florida. His wife, herself a talented detective, has left him and he has started an affair with Ann, a high school sweetheart. When Ann tells him that she must have a cancer operation or die, Matt takes a bag of drug money he has been holding for the Feds, and gives it to her, planning to replace it with insurance money. But Ann’s house goes up in a blaze, with Ann and her husband inside. Matt’s former wife is called in to head up the case, and all fingers point to Matt as the culprit. To further complicate matters, the Federal agents want their money.

Washington is terrific as Matt, deftly dodging all the pitfalls thrown at him, pretending to make cell-phone calls while actually editing records, and doing anything he can to take the attention off his character. A masterful serio-comic performance again proves him one of our best actors. An excellent cast supports him. One potentially grating element is John Billingsley as Chae, a medical examiner and buddy of Matt. He is one of those comic-relief characters you will either love or hate, either welcoming his every appearance or cursing him as a distraction.

The locations also star in this movie. How refreshing to watch a film that is shot in neither New York City, Los Angeles, nor Toronto. The Miami profile is lovingly photographed at many times of the day. It looks so beautiful in this movie that one instantly longs to be there. The DVD reproduces these scenes with stunning accuracy, but does not do so well with the night scenes that are used at the beginning and end of the movie. These are a little murky and indistinct. Video ranges from 4.5 to 3, thus the 3.5 average.

The audio for the foley effects is excellent. The rear channels are not in constant use, so when a sound does appear in them, it makes an impact. Graeme Revell’s wannabe jazz score fares less well. The music tracks have good separation and clarity, but are lacking in presence and bass. The run-of-the-mill extras include a "making of" documentary; character biographies; a dry audio commentary by director Franklin; two not terribly funny outtakes; and almost boring screen tests for Sanaa Lathan (Ann) and Dean Cain (Ann’s no-good husband, Chris).

Rent or buy? I would say rent, unless you are a die-hard fan of director Franklin, star Washington, or the noir genre in general. But I do recommend you see the film for its fine performances and taut situations. It is highly entertaining, well crafted, and certainly deserves a viewing.  

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