Academy-award winner Denzel Washington (“Training Day”) plays another bad cop in “Out of Time.” The difference in this film is that this character is likable and sympathetic.
Washington plays Matt Lee Whitlock, sheriff of Banyon Key, Fla., a quiet, small town where nothing happens.
Matt’s separation from his wife Detective Alexandra Cole (Eva Mendes, “Once Upon A Time In Mexico”) allows him to have an adulterous affair with Ann Harrison (Sanaa Lathan, “Brown Sugar”), who is married to Chris (Dean Cain, TV’s “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”).
Matt also takes $500,000 in confiscated drug money. The money is supposed to be picked up by the DEA to use as evidence in a high profile court case.
This all makes Matt the proverbial bad cop, but he does draw sympathy.
Matt finds out Ann has been diagnosed with cancer. He steals the drug money so she can afford cancer therapy in Europe.
But adultery and stealing are the least of Matt’s problems. Ann’s home burns to the ground, and two unidentifiable bodies were found.
All the evidence points to Matt, especially after he was named beneficiary to Ann’s $1 million life insurance policy. To make matters even worse, his wife Alex has been assigned to the case.
And all this occurs within the first 20 minutes.
Matt’s situation gets seemingly worse, but disclosing any other facts will harm this movie’s entertainment value.
“Out of Time” takes the “wrongly accused” movie plot and puts a whole new spin on the genre. First, Matt isn’t completely innocent because he did steal the money. Secondly, being Banyon Key sheriff allows Matt to be half a step ahead of Alex.
Washington always will be a highly likable actor, and this works well for this particular role. Audiences need to like Matt in order not to feel he has everything coming to him.
Washington is simply one of the best actors we have today, and this role is no exception to an example of his acting prowess. He automatically brings high expectations for his roles, and he charms and delivers once again in “Out of Time.”
The problem with this movie isn’t the acting, but rather its script. This reviewer was able to figure out what was going on halfway through the movie. When the prediction was not right, all it took was one slight adjustment and it became the correct prediction.
Besides that, and the movie is quite entertaining with solid acting from Cain and Mendes.
Denzel Washington rarely makes a bad movie, and this is a decent movie. But “Out of Time” will not win him another Oscar.
“Out of Time”: B