Skip to main content

Out of Time (2003)

Plot Outline

Chief of Police, Matt Whitlock's (Denzel Washington) personal life is in doldrums. His marriage is on the rocks and he's secretly courting another man's wife, Ann (Sanaa Lathan). When Ann is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Matt decides to fund her treatment with money that was recovered from a drug bust. But before Ann can proceed forth with her treatment, she and her husband Chris (Dean Cain) are killed in a mysterious house fire. The case is assigned to Matt's estranged wife, homicide detective Alex (Eva Mendes) and to make matters worse (for Matt), the DEA comes calling for the drug money. If this isn't enough, Matt is the sole beneficiary on Ann's insurance policy which further implicates him in this crime. Will Matt escape from the fix he is in and identify who's behind everything? Or will Alex and the DEA catch up to the clandestine secrets he's hiding? 

Denzel Washington navigating rough waters in Out of Time
Denzel Washington navigating rough waters in Out of Time <Credits: Movieclips>

The Good

  •  A movie titled 'Out of Time' has to get its pacing absolutely right if the viewers have to identify with the sense of desperation that the protagonist experiences as he circumvents one curveball after another. The pacing of this movie is spot-on. Its starts gradually while painting all the characters who permeate the small town of Banyan Key in Florida and then rapidly picks up tempo once the investigation starts uncovering Matt's involvement with Anna. 
  • Can Denzel Washington be part of a movie and not be good? Denzel's Matt is flawed but also has certain limits that he will not cross. This paradox allows us to sympathize with Matt's struggle as he toils to extricate himself from the mess that he had a hand in creating
  • Every scene which involves Matt evading the authorities by the skin of his teeth
Eva Mendes as Alex in Out of Time
Eva Mendes as Alex <Credits: kinobscura>

The Mediocre

  • I am not giving away any spoilers but anyone who has seen these sort of thrillers can guess what the twist is from a mile away. If you are looking for a layered mystery with watertight logic and oodles of suspense then this one is not for you  
Dean Cain as Chris in Out of Time
Dean Cain as Chris <Credits: Movieclips>

The Conclusion

Anytime you end up watching something that can keep you engrossed, its a plus. Not to mention the runtime of 100 minutes which is ideal for finishing the movie at one go without any interruptions. Now, Wikipedia mentions that Out of Time was remade as Zeher. I haven't watched the Emraan Hashmi flick so cannot comment on how well the remake lived up to the original. If you end up catching this one and have also watched Zeher, do leave a comment on whether there is any connection between the two. 

Rated: Time Pass (Strictly for Adults)

Until Next Time,

Your Movie Lover.

Comments

Popular Posts

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...

10 Random Things about the First IPL

It's IPL time, the time of the year where cricket turns from a gentleman's game into a three ringed circus for the stars, the people and the players. It's hard to believe that it's been 10 long years since the IPL started but I just seem to remember it like yesterday. As soon I thought about the first IPL I remembered some tight finishes, some great performances, raw emotion, glamour that was on display and some utterly forgettable moments. So here are 10 random things I remember about the first IPL: Teams of the first IPL <Courtesy: Reddit > Akshay Kumar , the brand ambassador (Oh! the brand ambassadors was one way franchises burnt their hard earned money during the first IPL) for Delhi Daredevils (DD) zip-lined his way into the ground for an IPL match. DD followed his example of daredevilry all throughout the league phase before their stunt went all wrong crashing them into the ground in the semis .            Ricky Ponting (yes he p...

The Punisher (2004)

There are very few movies which make for a fun repeat watch. The 2004 version of ' The Punisher ' belongs to this rarefied category. I watched the movie almost 10 years ago and then caught up with it again last month. The plot twists were familiar the second time around but the fun was still the same. That's what probably got me started off on this movie review.    Tom Jane as 'The Punisher' The Plot:  When the younger son of mafia boss Howard Saint ( John Travolta ) gets killed in an FBI operation headed by Frank Castle ( Tom Jane ), Saint swears revenge and wipes out Castle's entire family. Castle himself barely survives before emerging from his injuries as the crusading 'Punisher'. 'The Punisher' resolves to extract payback from Saint and proceeds to punish everyone on the wrong side of law with his brand of justice. Will 'The Punisher' succeed (Of course he does)? Watch this lesser talked about installment from the Marvel Cinematic Un...

A walk along the Ocean - Stanley Park Seawall

On a bright May afternoon I found myself on the Stanley Park Seawall in Vancouver facing the Pacific Ocean . This was the ocean hike that I was most looking forward to. Now before I go any further you might ask me. What is the Seawall? There you go, the picture below should answer your question very well 👇 Stanley Park Seawall (Courtesy: Tourism Vancouver) How did I get there?  Simple via public transport ( TransLink ). In front of me was a 10 KM hike right next to the Pacific Ocean and I was grossly unprepared (didn't even have a bottle of water with me). But water or no water I wasn't about to back out from exploring this beautiful waterfront trail . My first pit stop allowed me to take in the sights of Vancouver downtown along with the  docks . Vancouver Downtown Vancouver docks and the Pan Pacific Hotel Pan Pacific Hotel from the top (Courtesy: BC Ferries Vacations) The next sight to behold my attention was the 100 year old Brockton P...

Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari

There are books which you read and then there are books which make you read them and change your life. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) Mahabharata belongs to the latter category. Mahabharata introduced me to the joy of reading books as a kid and today I couldn't have picked a better topic for my 25th post. I cannot describe what a pleasure and honor it is to extol the virtues of this classic book during this holy festive season of  Makar Sankranti . Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari The story of Mahabharata is as old as the mountains and has been retold several times. Mahabharata by Rajaji however stands out in my mind because here is a story which is spiritual yet not religious, is thought provoking yet not preachy, is compelling yet not tedious. The story left an indelible impression upon me for several reasons which are: Rajaji uses extremely simple language to convey some of the finer aspects of the saga. I was 10 years old when I read Mahabharata ...