Hollywood has treated Elmore Leonard well of late. His work --
previously relegated by movies to Jimmy Smits vehicles such as
"Glitz" -- has been well represented by "Get
Shorty", "Jackie Brown" (based on Leonard's
"Rum Punch") and now "Out of Sight". Steven
Soderbergh ("Sex, Lie & Videotape",
"Kafka", "King of the Hill") directs, and
with a slew of dead-on character performances, the film is a real
joy.Leonard's forte is the fuck-up, and everyone in "Out of
Sight" is a fuck-up, albeit, a charming one. George Clooney
leads as a chronic bank robber; Jennifer Lopez, sporting resolve,
cool and just the biggest can in pictures, is a U.S. Marshall who
falls for Clooney. Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, and Albert Brooks
all lend support to the tale of a plan to rob the house of a
Michael Milken convict (Brooks) that is hatched in a Florida
prison.
Steve Zahn - as a dope-smoking plotter who initiates the plan -
nearly steals the film.
Performances are wonderful. Even Clooney, a movie star if there
ever was one, manages to do more than the standard head-wagging,
aw shucks routine he stole from Hugh Grant. No matter. Even when
he lapses, his job is to look like someone Jennifer Lopez would
fall for quickly, and he does.
But the picture is Soderbergh's. Timelines jump-cut with ease and
with purpose, and his attention to detail is key. Better, he
approaches the standards (strong woman cop approached by male bar
scammers, the love scene, criminal violence) with restraint and
smarts. There is a lot to miss in the film, and since story is
not key, the little things become paramount.
Niner sez - 999999999 and half a nine. Great watch.
