Out of Time

Chief Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is constantly on the move, whether he is shacking up with his high school sweetheart or running after the money she connived him out of.

There are a few twists in the movie, enough to surprise you. Whitlock attempts to stay one step ahead of his Detective Whitlock (Mendes) and you sometimes are left wondering how he did it. There is interplay with these two characters, she still has feelings for her husband, yet, you are left wondering why she left him in the first place.

There are some interesting plays between characters, Chae, Whitlocks Medical examiner and friend. For some reason, everyone is loyal to Whitlock. You wonder if this is the first time he has been in trouble and what he has done to maintain the loyalty of his friends and co-workers.

I would recommend seeing the Profiles of the Characters before you see the DVD. The profiles are a good introduction to the movie and gives a good foundation to build on.

This movie is worth viewing, however, the scenes between Washington and Lathan were a little too drawn out and could have been aluded to in order to broaden the range of viewers and viewer appeal.

The trailers did not give the story away, so I was surprised at the plot and movie overall. It is a good watch, and worth the time if you want to be entertained.

The DVDs outtakes are weak, only two, and added because they had to be. I wondered if they were staged so they could have outtakes.

In the end, should he keep the money or not?? What would you do?


Denzel Washington fills in the holes for this thriller   January 10, 2004
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Having Denzel Washington as the star of this 2003 film is a saving grace because for the most part the audience is way ahead of the main character in "Out of Time." Washington plays Matt Lee Whitlock, the chief of police in the small town of Banyan Key, Florida, and gets himself in a situation where if the water is not over his head he has to be breathing through his eyelids. All of the trailers I saw for this movie had emphasized the idea that Whitlock is being framed, so with that much of a heads up it is impossible not to see this freight train coming down the tracks on top of the chief. But you can discover the details for yourself.

Once it hits the fan there are only two questions. The first is whether Whitlock can figure everything out and do something about it before he gets nailed by homicide detective Alex Diaz Whitlock (Eva Mendes), who just happens to be the chief's estranged wife and who serves him with a divorce petition before things get really interesting. The second has to do with the actual level of involvement in the proceedings of one key player (again, this will be obvious when you watch the movie). Even though the set up is clear, the mystery is how Whitlock is going to get himself out of this one, assuming, of course that he will (but he is played by Denzel Washington, so are assumptions are leaning that way). Again, I was ahead of the curve on a couple of key points, but then I have become so adept at picking up the clues screenwriters use to set things up in their films.

"Out of Time" is one of those films where the star and his performance are enough to forgive a lot of the film's shortcomings. This is not to say that Washington is alone in his efforts. I liked the relationship between Whitlock and Chae (John Billingsley), the local medical examiner and resident oddball who becomes the one person the chief can trust; they have some pretty good shtick going at several points in this film. Then there is Dean Cain, who turns in Superman's cape to play a bad guy; he and Washington have a great scene in a bar where they tell each other everything but admit nothing (compare it to the second audition scene of Cain's to see what choice bits of dialogue were added to the final version). The end result is enjoyable enough for a one time viewing, but not a keep unless you have everything Washington has ever done all the way back to "Carbon Copy."


"Out of Time" is Worth Your Time and Dime   January 8, 2004
Emmanuel (Los Angeles, CA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Denzel Washington, for one more time, shone like a bright star in a cloudless night. This movie, from the beginning to the end, keeps you at the edge of your seat primarily for two reasons: first, the movie is jam packed with captivating/unforgettable scenes and, secondly, the originality of the story leaves you little or no room at all to predict the next outcome---making you, thus, so much absorbed.
"Out of Time" definitely is worth both your time and dime.


OUT OF (PLOT) TIME!!!   October 19, 2003
I. Allison (Sacramento, CA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I really wanted to like this movie---I even cut out of work early to see this movie, and well (sigh), here goes...

Matthias Whitlock {Denzel Washington--Training Day, John Q.} is the chief of police in small-town, who happens to be married and having an affair with his high-school sweetheart Anne Marei Harrison {Sanaa Lathan--Love & Basketball, Brown Sugar}, who is struggling with her own fidelity issues with an abusive husband, Chris Harrison {Dean Cain--host of Ripley's Believe It Or Not}, an former quarterback turned security guard who is bitter and strapped for cash.

One day, Anne Marei takes Matthias to the doctor where she learns she is terminally ill with cancer. Treatments are expensive and not guaranteed to extend her life. Whitlock decides to take measures into his own hands, and steal some drug money from a successful bust to help his lover.

On the night he is to deliver the money, Anne Marei's house has been burned to the ground, killing her and her husband!! Investigators suspect foul play and are looking for answers. To make matters worse, the lead detective is Whitlock's wife {Eva Mendes--Training Day}.

Now Whitlock, must solve this mystery and keep the rest of the force hot off his trail, before they discover the truth.

The movie draws you in without a problem, especially as Whitlock discovers some truths of his own. But it's the last 20 or so minutes of dialogue/plot that it all went downhill.

Overall, not too bad.