Out of Sight, a review by Jon
Out of Sight
4 out of 5
Meet Jack Foley, the most successful bank robber in the country. On the day he busts out of jail, he finds himself stealing something far more precious than money... Karen Sisco's heart. She's smart. She's sexy, and unfortunately for Jack, she's a Federal Marshal. Now, they're willing to risk it all to find out if there's more between them than just the law.
OUT OF SIGHT, starring GEORGE CLOONEY as the smooth criminal who bends the law and is determined to make one last heist, and JENNIFER LOPEZ who chooses all the right moves... and all the wrong guysOut of Sight is one of Steven Soderbergh’s best films, with a good mix of classy entertainment, great characters and visual fluff. There’s little action and it feels like an old Hollywood thriller (there are plenty of movie references worked into the knowing script). It pulls you in with the cool idea of the career criminal unable to resist the heist of a lifetime, but gives you something of substance.
It’s pointless saying this is Jennifer Lopez’s best role (I mean, where’s the alternative?), but she is great with a subtle performance and I can’t think who else could have portrayed Karen Sisco quite as well, especially considering it’s a tough character to sell. She captures both the tough no nonsense shoot-first attitude (especially brilliant when she gets trapped with a particularly threatening creep) and the softer, vulnerable side. The chemistry with Clooney (who possibly is in his best form here) is believable and really makes the film fizz, which is important because the plot contrivance to get them together could be considered sexist and clichéd if it failed at all, as both characters are absurd.
The supporting cast are great too, as you would expect from either an Elmore Leonard or Steven Soderbergh source. Dennis Farina is a lot of fun as Sisco’s Marshall father, Don Cheadle and Ving Rhames are as reliable as ever and then we have Michael Keaton as Ray Nicollette, reprising the role from the previous years Jackie Brown. I’m not sure I can think of another instance of an actor reprising a supporting role in an unrelated film! (Except I think there was an FBI agent who played himself in a couple of the Fox Film Noir series that were based on real events he was involved in originally).
The screenplay, based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, is full of great dialogue and well-rounded characters (see also, Jackie Brown) that cut through the gloss. While it could so easily have been successful with a more formulaic approach, it is given depth by confident shifts in the narrative. Rather than just showing off, these cuts give us different perspectives on the characters. For instance, the audaciously cool bank robbery by Foley near the start (“Is this your first time being robbed?”) actually happens much later and your perception is altered when you know what preceded it. Considering the director made a name for himself with Sex Lies and Videotape, it’s good to see how intelligently the love scene is handled too, which in a rare instance is essential to the plot. It’s cleverly edited, intercut with the flirting, so we get a real sense of why Sisco and Foley are at it like rabbits, without actually seeing much of anything.
This is a good quality, well produced thriller that features the best of old and new Hollywood. It’s over ten years old and there has been little to match it since for grown-ups looking for decent entertainment.
(From Stop Thief! The Robbing Bastard Marathon on April 18th, 2010)
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May 15, 2024, 09:10:00 PM
