Out of Sight (1998)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Admirable film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Soderbergh rounded up a superb ensemble of actors with G. Clooney (in his most dashing) as Jack, and J-Lo (in her most acclaimed performance yet) as Karen, the U.S. Marshall who gets abducted after Jack's prison break attempt, a romantic pair well complemented by a variety of supporting players. Rhames and Zahn are charmingly amusing as the religious and genial Buddy and the inept dope-head Glenn, respectively, two friends that Jack met in prison. Cheadle's character Maurice which is a foil to Clooney's affable Jack is more annoying than really threatening but an amusing in its own way with his henchmen Washington as Kenneth and Loneker as White Boy Bob which are kind of one-dimentional in just being border-line farcical tools, but that kind of works and were crucial elements that helped the film's success. A joy to watch as well are Farina as Karen's endearing father and Brooks and the hard-pressed Ripley, a disreputable businessman both Jack and Maurice met while serving time in prison. Keener, Guzman, Allen, Jackson, Davis, and the Keaton character whose cameo is a priceless gem which happens to be the same one the underrated actor did in another Elmore Leonard novel-turned-film, Jackie Brown. Each and every one were consistently remarkable in their understatedness but still manages to be such memorable characters owing, of course, to Leonard's crafty achievement in developing the narrative. The subtle success of this film also has something to do with the sumptuous cinematography, the unobtrusive musical score and the brilliant use of the non-linear storytelling accomplished through excellent editorial decisions made, which is kind of a Soderbergh signature, all executed seamlessly by the film editor to focus more on the Jack character. And then the highlight of the film and serves as the film's centerpiece is the one where Jack and Karen meets in a hotel bar and their conversation which is eventually intercut with the flash-forward intimate scenes between the two leads, all of which is an elegant exercise in cinematic homage to that notoriously sensual scene in Roeg's Don't Look Now between the married characters of actors Sutherland and Christie. And for Soderbergh to bridge the thematic issues that both these films share is a shrewd move. Though it seems to be unoriginal, all he did was to cling his film to that psych-thriller, and in that regard he comes out triumphant. Only a classy film deserves to be mentioned side-by-side the DuMaurier film adaptation. Connecting this film through the use of that technique, the one Roeg implemented if not pioneer in the 1973 film, and I say it by no means with any disrespect to Roeg and his gang, Soderberg and his crew kind of owned it for a while.A cinematic fine wine to savor and appreciate every now and then. My rating: A-plus.

Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Frank mix up the sequencing of the usually straightforward-to-a-fault novelist Elmore Leonard but that's about the only thing that sets it apart from other films taken from Leonard works. I have not read the novel on which the film is based but Frank's script hews closely to the Leonard oeuvre in its utter predictability in character, plotting and the sophisticated banter between criminals and cops that lacks any real world credibility. George Clooney plays an escaped bank robber who develops a relationship with the federal marshal (Jennifer Lopez) on his trail. (Typical of Leonard's cool cucumbers, the word "love" is never mentioned.) Soderbergh seems to be seeking the same kind of off-kilter, casual chemistry between his leads that Stanley Donen was able to find with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in "Charade" but Clooney and Lopez don't seem to jell--they seem to be nervous around each other. When they meet-cute in the trunk of a getaway car, it should be a tense and electric moment the film can expand from but instead comes off as awkward and strained with Lopez in particular unsure of how to react. The rest of their interactions are spent trying to recover from that failed moment. As usual, Soderbergh knows how to entertain his viewers with visual flair; he gets great support from Anne V. Coates' fluid editing and while Elliot Davis' camera-work is not as eloquent as Soderbergh's own, it does have its flashes, particularly in the night scenes. Lopez and Clooney are surrounded by a powerhouse cast that includes Don Cheadle, Ving Rhames, Dennis Farina, Albert Brooks, Steve Zahn, Luis Guzman, a wasted Michael Keaton, an uncredited Samuel L. Jackson and a young Viola Davis (heck, even Nancy Allen is in there) and the film has its game moments, but the sum of its' parts are better than the whole.

A career bank robber (George Clooney) breaks out of jail and shares a moment of mutual attraction with a US Marshall (Jenny From the Block) he has kidnapped.First of all, this is an incredible ensemble cast. Michael Keaton, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Dennis Farina. For a film that has grown increasingly obscure and forgotten, it has a fair amount of bigger names that people may want to see. Why did it become obscure? Was it as part of the anti-Lopez backlash? Who knows? Now, for me, I could have used more of Clooney as the suave bank robber who does not need a gun and less of the romantic angle between him and Lopez. Why complicate a good heist / crime story with phoney Hollywood emotions?

"Out of Sight" stars a hard-working bank criminal named Jack Foley (George Clooney) and an temptingly sexy US Marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) are placed in the back of a car truck after Foley makes his escape from a Florida prison. Once his escape the thought has gone as planned, Foley is hunted down by Sisco, while his accomplices which includes his trustworthy assistant Buddy (Ving Rhames) and his not so reliable ally Glenn (Steve Zahn) work their ways to one of the more wealthier suburbs located in nearby Detroit. There they join forces with a suspicious business dealer named Ripley (Albert Brooks) who once sent them to jail on account of uncut diamonds found in his home. A dangerous assassin named Maurice Miller (Don Cheadle) has plans to invade Ripley's mansion accompanied his posse which includes Kenny (Isiah Washington) an White Boy Bob(Keith Loneker). While this is happening, Foley and Sisco get comfortable with each other in a Detroit hotel room where their romance is put to the test concludes in showdown as Foley enters Ripley's estate which contribute to the fun that they were having together. The question is are they in love or is Sisco pursuing to have him arrested? The first thing that caught my eye when watching "Out of Sight" was that it was very cool. But "cool" can be very hard to evaluate. I've been around movies for over 20 years and there have been equally proportioned good "cool" and bad ones as well. In many way, Steven Soderburgh has captured the coolness of this film as a reminiscing of the old 1960's espionage heist film that had run rampant in that time period. The cat games seem to make it very obvious. For a film to succeed in being cool, you need to convey manipulative tactics to your audience to make them think that this movie truly defines "cool" so that they can demand for more. By the time this movie makes it to Detroit is when the cool factor really starts to kick in and that was when I was really starting to like this film.In this movie we can all appreciate the cool things about it, but the more specific definition of the cool factor of this movie is the sexiness it brought to the screen that both genders can truly pander about. I think we all now by now that J-Lo is not that great of an actress. At best she can come across as an average performer (it may not help that her career choices in films have not always been to kind to her). But in "Out of Sight" I'll let the blind squirrel find his nut. In other words, she actually was pretty good here. That's mainly because Mr. Soderburgh knew that at best Miss Lopez can excel if she doesn't do very much on screen. In reality, it's the camera-work that's the real star here and it gives J-Lo the chance to reveal her sumptuous physique without really do much of anything else.On the contrary, George Clooney is a very capable and more competent performer than J-Lo and his camera-work excels better because he can still convey sex appeal to the female audience while at the same time he could back it up with versatile acting. And instead he can takes more charge to the camera than J-Lo and never lets it usurp him. So his combination of suave and talent embodies the dynamics of Clooney's repertoire.Now in most films cool and suave would surely not churn out a film that is real. But much to my surprise, "Out of Sight" actually has a believable story nailed into the suave and sex appeal behind and is never upstaged by it. There are some implausible scenarios that are a bit far-fetched like the climactic heist near the end of the film. But the characters succeed in keeping it real and the situations they face give us that impression as the film progresses. There is great chemistry between J-Lo and Clooney and we feel for them all the way through the film even though they're from the opposing sides of the law (opposites attract). The other supporting cast were also convincing including Ving Rhames as Clooney's trusted accomplice, Steve Zahn as the screw-up assistant and Albert Brooks as the rich nerdy guy. Behind this heist film, we have lots to believe.The camera-work was really put together quite elegantly where the rural and the urban settings really cooperate quite nicely. I thought it was quite believable that Miami looks very vibrant and colorful and while the mean streets of Detroit has the darkness dominating the streets with the exception of the odd bluish tint. And for that the cool factor comes into play with the impression that Mr. Soderbergh chose style over substance in this movie. There are a lot of crime-dramas out there that either choose, style, substance or plausibility. But in "Out of Sight", we see all three come together and to me it really makes my days all the more better.