Out of Time
Tags: suspenseful, mystery, neo noir, murder, violence

Plot synopsis:
Chief Matthias Whitlock (Denzel Washington) gets a call from a woman about an intruder. He finishes his beer and heads over. She invites him in to her bedroom for the investigation, they end up on the bed kissing, it was a ruse and just foreplay. The chief gets another call interrupting the "assault with a deadly weapon" fun.In Banyan Key, FL, Chief Whitlock has breakfast in a cafe, he engages the owner, Chris Harrison (Dean Cain) with some edgy banter. Chris' wife, Ann (Sanaa Lathan) the caller from the previous evening, says hello politely.Matt goes to his office and meets his friend Jay (John Billingsley), the medical examiner. Ex wife Alex Diaz-Whitlock (Eva Mendes) comes asking for keys to get some stuff, Matt gives her a hard time.Matt goes fishing from his deck and Ann arrives her husband, is away for the weekend. They have a quickie in the hallway. Later in bed, Ann gets a call and has to leave. At Mercy Hospital Oncology she meets a Dr (Alex Carter) and has Matt there acting as her brother. The Dr says her cancer is out of remission, she has 6 months to live. Matt asks about alternative approaches, the Dr says they are expensive, no guarantees.Matt talks to a tearful Ann. There is a clinic in Switzerland with 17% success rate. Ann wants to break off the relationship.Matt buys flowers for her. Ann shows Matt a $1mil insurance policy her husband took out on her on her 32 birthday, her mother died at 33. Chris arrives and Matt slips out. Chris grills her about the Dr visit, they argued loudly. Matt knocks on the front door and says he is checking out a prowler.Ann calls Matt and says she had figured out how to get to Switzerland. She takes Matt to meet a guy who will give her $750k in return for being named the beneficiary on the insurance.Later she is upset, there Is a rule that one cannot change beneficiaries after 1 year, which is in 2 days.Matt and Jay have beers at a bar. Chris confronts him after Jay leaves. Chris hints he knows Ann is seeing another guy, Matt. Matt almost admits it is him as tensions rise between the two.Ann comes by Matt's house the next day apologetic. She gives him an envelope, making him the beneficiary. She is leaving town, needs some peace.Matt is served with divorce papers and is upset. He brings Ann police custody drug money to pay for Switzerland.Later, back at his house Jay is there but Matt herds him out. He tries to phone Ann, the phone keeps ringing. He drives to her house, it is dark. A motion sensor light comes on, the neighbor sees him. Matt leaves. Later the house explodes in flames.In the morning two burnt corpses are in the embers. Alex shows up, she is a homicide detective. The fire chief shows a device, it was arson. Alex catches a lift with Matt and apologizes for the divorce paper timing but says it has been 8 months.Alex and Matt go to Ann's work, her boss, a dentist, says she had cancer. A co-worker says she was having an affair, she received flowers. Matt fakes a call to the flower shop and reports the husband sent them. Next Alex plans to go to the oncologist, Matt begs off, they argue. Matt shows off his GPS device that allows him to track everyone on his force.She gets him to come but in the office, he goes to the washroom but stops when he hears the doctor's name. They see her doctor, a woman who says Ann was healthy. Matt rushes to the hospital office he was in with Ann, it is another Dr. Friedland, but he has no patient named Ann. Matt takes a gold pen in an envelope. In the car Alex is calling for phone records, Matt is nervous. Back at the cop shop the neighbor is giving info to a sketch artist. The woman says Matt was the man, no one believes her. Matt sends a junior staff to Miami with the pen to check fingerprints.The DEA (Terry Loughlin) calls and says they are coming for the evidence money that afternoon. Matt becomes very tense. A cop has found a lead on the insurance policy, Matt says he will track it down.At the fax machine Whitlock intercepts the incoming records with his name on the list. He scans the list and tries to edit the file. He re-sends it to the fax machine from his PC but then has to go and delete the first incoming resend from the phone company without anyone noticing.Jay arrives with the autopsy report.Then another cop shows up with cell phone records, there is one regular number, it is Matt's. He quickly uses his cell to turn off his voice mails. Jay is there, recognizes the number and tells Alex it is his. Outside, Matt comes clean to Jay and says he was setup, he gave Ann the drug money.The phone call comes in from Miami, the fingerprints on the pen are from Tony Cabot, an ex-con. Matt asks for the last known address, it is closeby.Matt goes with Jay to the address. It is deserted but they find a credit card statement in a trash can and Cabot's Mercy Hospital pass. They return to the station, Jay offers to drive him to the airport to go to Costa Rica. Matt says he is not running.At the office, the insurance company phones and on speakerphone tells the cops Chris Harrison was the beneficiary, but wait, there seems to be a change form coming, might be in the mail room. Alex asks him to find it and call back in half an hour.Matt finds out from the credit card company where the card was last used, a hotel in Miami. He hears Alex also asking about Paul Cabot in the squad room.As he is leaving two DEA agents arrive for the evidence money, DW buys time by telling them he sent it to their office, he has a telecon with their angry boss.In the hotel Cabot is on the phone with Chris, planning their escape.At the hotel Matt pretends to be Cabot and gets a new room key from the front desk, he goes up to room 715. Entering with gun drawn he is jumped by Cabot and the two men fight. They end up crashing through the slider onto the balcony, it collapses and both men hang in mid air. Finally Cabot falls to his death, Matt crawls back up and finds a briefcase, the money is there. Trying to leave, Alex arrives with backup, the front desk clerk points him out as Matt dashes to a stairwell, the chase is on, but Alex didn't get a good look at the runner. Then Matt re-appears and says he just got here too. In the confusion he manages to get out the back door with the money to his car. He calls Jay to say he has the money. Alex arrives at his car and says they need to talk.They go to a bar and talk about their relationship, then Alex asks Matt if wants to say anything, he doesn't. They return to Banyan Key in silence. Back in the squad, Alex once again looks at the cell phone records. She tells Matt the hotel clerk will be there in 30 minutes.A weeping Ann phones and says she is sorry but Chris made her do it, she still needs the money. Matt gets the address and ducks out the washroom window. The hotel clerk arrives.Alex looks again at the face sketch and clues in it is Matt. The call comes in, the new beneficiary is Matthias Whitlock. The three DEA agents show up asking to see Whitlock, Alex hears all the details about the $485,000.Jay is driving when the GPS unit in the glovebox beeps and he sees a dot flashing at Runyon Pt. A short time later his car breaks down.Matt arrives at a dark shack. He enters warily and sees a beaten Ann. Chris appears and starts shooting, a gunfight. Chris is out of ammo, trying to escape he is shot by Ann. She points the gun at Matt, and admits she was behind it all. She shoots Matt in the thigh but before she can kill him as he screams, Alex shoots and kills her from behind. Alex checks the briefcase and only sees a GPS tracking unit.The rest of the police arrive, Alex gives a plausible explanation. The three DEA agents arrive demanding the money, just then Jay arrives with the satchel, saying there was a mistake with the address.As Matt is loaded into an ambulance Alex asks if he loved Ann he says no, but was just stupid.Later, Matt is fishing from his deck. Alex arrives relaxed and friendly talking about moving her stuff. Jay arrives with mail, the insurance company informing him he is to get $1 mil. Alex says he can't accept it as conflict of interest. Matt agrees as Alex says she is moving back in together.

Review: There may have been a handful of good (or decent) film noirs recently, but the bad outnumber them by about 100 to 1.I went into Carl Franklin's "Out of Time" with a certain amount of interest--I wasn't sure what to expect.
I had finally come to expect a fairly decent thriller with illogical plot holes and a boring pace.I was wrong.With a back-to-back viewing of David Spade's "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" and "Out of Time," there was a nice contrast going, which may explain why I enjoyed the film so very much.
But there's one thing for certain--it's a lot cleverer than most films of its kind.Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is running out of time.
And, unlike some films, when you stop to take a look at the plot twists in "Out of Time"...they actually make sense.Denzel Washington is one of the best actors in Hollywood; he can lift any film out of mediocrity, including that underrated supernatural thriller "Fallen" with John Goodman.
So arises the quandary of how he's going to solve the case and clear his name before it's too late, especially given that his ex-wife Alex (Eva Mendes) is absolutely intent on solving the case.The movie's real strength lies in the twists and turns that they throw in from time to time.
But I actually considered Matt's friend Chae (John Billingsley) to be the best character in the movie; I mean, some of those monologues were so great.All in all, it's not any kind of masterpiece.
Sure, a couple of the twists could be seen a mile away, but it was the way the scenes were cleanly executed to the point where you had to wonder "How is he getting out of this?" While some of the reviews are over the top, this is certainly one of those popcorn movies that I wouldn't mind spending a little dough on.
Denzel Washington is a policeman who is "Out of Time" in this 2003 film also starring Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, and Dean Cain.Washington plays Matt Whitlock, a policeman involved in an affair with the beautiful Ann Harrison (Lathan).
How he wriggles out of various situations makes for some good suspense and engrossing viewing.Washington is excellent as the harried cop, and the film is well worth watching, even though it's easy to figure out past a certain point.
Every movie I have seen with Denzel Washington in it has been a good movie.This is no exception .What I liked about out of time is it had everything.It has great comic relief,drama,mystery and action.I really love movies that lead me in one direction and just when I think I have it all figured out wham!
The direction is good and it really helps the film keep a good sense of pace in the way the camera spins around in even the office environment but really it is the cast that make this stand out from the many other crime thrillers that never make it to the cinema.Washington may well be slumming it here (he criticised it because he said all he did was run) but he holds the attention really well.
Denzel Washington, (Matthias Lee Whitlock),"Training Day",'01, played the role of a pretty sharp Police Chief when it came to crime.
Have seen better pictures with Denzel Washington, but this film does hold your interest from beginning to the very end..
It stars Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain and John Billingsley.
The cast around Washington enhance the quality: Lathan in the tricky role shows a number of layered gears, Cain is imposing as a bully boy husband (where did this Cain go?) and Billingsley almost sneaks in and steals the movie as the loyal and stoic comedy side-kick.So pesky flaws aside, this is a good recommendation as a night in movie for those with a kink for contemporary neo-noir.
That didn't bother me, although I have to admit at one point I began wondering "when is something violent going to happen." Many film noirs were like this, anyway, building up tension until the end.I still found it pretty interesting most of the way, with a nice twist at the end.
Denzel Washington acting is top-notch , he has got much experience in twenty and some years of career , Eva Mendes is enjoyable and enticing and Sanaa Latham ready as future first star in ¨Alien vs Predator¨ , Dean Cain (ex Superman) gives a different role to usual .
Matt Lee Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is the police chief of Florida small town Banyan Key. He just cracked a big drug case confiscating $450k.
He's getting divorced from fellow police officer Alex (Eva Mendes) and having an affair with Anne Merai Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) who is separated from violent husband Chris (Dean Cain).
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsMatt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is the immoral police chief of a small coastal town in Florida.He is having a sleazy affair with Ann Marai Harrison (Sanaa Lathan),a dental nurse and the wife of fellow police officer and rival Chris (Dean Cain),who mistreats her mentally and physically.One day,posing as her brother,he and Ann Marai pay a visit to the doctors to pick up some blood test results.It is here they are dealt the shocking blow that Ann Marai has an incurable form of cancer and has roughly only six months to live.Ann Marai wakes up to the hopelessness of her situation,but Whitlock clings on to hope in the shape of some treatment in a foreign country.It's going to cost a fair bit though,and money doesn't seem to be readily available.Desperate for cash,Whitlock steals a small fortune seized from a drug bust and puts it forward.Then,the next morning everything goes pear shaped when both Ann Marai and Chris are killed in an apparent arson attack.Aside from losing the woman he loved,Whitlock must now also contend with the mounting evidence putting him in the frame,especially when a nearby elderly neighbour (Evelyn Brooks) points him out as a suspect and a homicide squad,headed by his wife Alex (Eva Mendes) find evidence that suggests he was the new benificerary of Ann Marai's will.This is the second pairing of Washington and director Carl Franklin since the film noir Devil in a Blue Dress,nine years ago in 1995.The films are very similar in substance and style,and are conveyed in a very similar way.Washington,though not turning in the best performance of his career,carries the film fairly engagingly,and is given good support in the shape of Lathan,Cain and Mendes.Though the performances are perfectly on par,a lot of the film's shortcomings are attributable to director Franklin,who allows the pace to become rather laxed and to lose it's sense of narrative structure in parts.Like many thrillers nowadays,he also allows credibility to be stretched fairly far in certain parts,requiring a rather huge and unreasonable suspension of disbelief from the audience.He does also,however,really require you to use your brain and pay attention at all times to everything that is being said and inferred,no matter how preposterous it may sometimes be.The film emerges as being as good as you could hope it would be,serving it's purpose as a watchable but ultimately generic Hollywood cookie cutter thriller.***.
And since there are so many close ups, neither achieves the punch that a more restrained use would provide - and at the same time the film doesn't have to show the lack of production values.The plot is too predictable and the suspense consists mostly of eerie music that we recognize from countless TV productions also - it does not work.Only for die-hard fans of the always reliable Denzel Washington..
You've got Denzel at one of his best performances playing the role of the Chief of a Police Department.The plot of this movie is quite simple.
The movie has been presented so meticulously- it just keeps you waiting for 'what next?'Denzel Washington is probably the best character to have done justice to the role.
So the stage has been set for the rest of Out of Time, a frenetic, sometimes tense thriller that, by force of star power and sure direction, just manages to elevate itself above the unremarkable genre which binds it.Many movies before this one have told the story of the innocent man trying to extricate himself from a sticky situation, proving his innocence while at the same time trying to catch the bad guy.
The two actors create just the right kind of chemistry as two people who are apart for good reason, it seems, but who still like each other enough to be able to have civilized conversations while working together on the murder investigation.But the real glue holding the ordinariness together is Denzel Washington.
I liked the "rattlesnake tail shake" sound as he neared danger.I am so happy the director, Carl Franklin, didn't use the unnecessary "jumpy" visual effects in Quake's editing program that were so prevalent and distracting in Man on Fire.I have seen this movie several times and although I have the DVD, I watch it whenever it appears on TV.
I say familiar territory because it's basically a reworking of Costner and Hackman's 1987 NO WAY OUT scenario, which was itself a remake of 1948's THE BIG CLOCK with Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, and, once you accept the implausibility of the situation and the stupidity of Washington's character, it's not half bad, and though it has a few twists I didn't anticipate, the predictable ending is now a little clichéd and leaves too many loose ends for my liking.Denzel Washington acquits himself well as Denzel Washington; a bearded Dean (SUPERMAN) Cain does a great, almost Colin Farrell quality, turn, refreshingly, as a villain; the girls are gorgeous; but the real star is ENTERPRISE's 'Dr. Phlox', the much underrated John Billingsley, as a beer guzzling baseball capped Medical Examiner (imagine an amalgam of Jack Klugman's Quincy and Oscar Madison characters), and the only one in on Washington's predicament.
The movie features solid performances by Denzel Washington (as Matt Lee Whitlock) and Eva Menedes (as Alex Diaz Whitlock) playing the separated couple each working their own angle on the crime that occurs.
With excellent supporting work by John Billingsley (as Chae, the medical examiner), Dean Cain (as Chris Harrison), and Sanaa Lathan (as Ann Merai Harrison) this movie keeps you guessing until the end.There are some interesting plot twists at the end of the movie which you may or may not figure out by the end.
His lover, Sanaa Lathan who does a decent job and her brutal husband and football player Dean Cain got burned in their house just before she wanted to join Denzel Washington with a huge amount of money from a drug raid that he gave to her to be able to escape with her and fight her cancer illness.
And Denzel Washington tries to erase any proof that connects him to his lover and soon gets in trouble as he has to find the money that he illegally gave to the dead beauty and that strangely disappeared.By the time, the tension slowly rises, Denzel Washington gets in some really disturbing and uneasy situations and there also some action that comes in and the main characters finally get more profound than before and the movie loosely touches topics like friendship, forgiveness, love, passion, lies and truth.
What really saves this film are the decent performances and the entertaining flow after the first twenty-five minutes or so that keep the tension and attention on a high level.If you finally want to see a decent and entertaining thriller with some good acting I would recommend you this movie.
for this genre(crime drama/thriller)this movie is pretty good.it's certainly entertaining and thrilling.it's also pretty fast paced.the acting is decent but not spectacular.Denzel Washington plays the main character,and he has been better.Eva Mendes is also in the movie,and depending on your taste in women,may be reason enough to watch the movie.though the movie is of a serious nature it still comes off as a fluff piece.it isn't really original for the genre.there are a few twists and turns,for sure,but many movies of the genre have those.you probably won't be fooled too much,since most of the film is predictable.still,it's fun getting there.for me,Out of Time is a 7/10.
It's an ok film, nothing special and it's the presence of Denzel Washington that keeps it in an above average level.The story is mostly predictable, even though it's full of twists.
I can't really understand why studios find it necessary to give away so much of the plot surprises in the advertisements, but they do and we learn to live with it and go on.If you have seen any of the trailers for Out of Time, you'll know whats going on long before Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington)does.
Entertaining and suspenseful con movie with excellent acting from Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes..
I always enjoy Denzel Washington-movies and 'Out Of Time' wasn't an exception on this.
I'm surprised that none of the erudite film viewers here have noticed that, despite the lack of a credit, this film is a remake of the John Farrow/Ray Milland film "The Big Clock", which was also remade by Roger Donaldson/Kevin Costner as "No Way Out"...That said, it faithfully hues to most all of the plot elements of it's predecessors (which is a good thing)and additionally benefits by outstanding acting from all of the leads, particularly Washington and Mendes, who display real chemistry.
OUT OF TIME (2003) *** Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain, John Billingsley.
Washington stars as a small time chief of police in a Florida up to his neck in trouble when his illicit affair with Lathan heats up to include some serious implications involving double indemnity, extortion and scandal as he attempts to resolve the matters at hand by staying one-step ahead of his recently promoted to homicide detective (and separated from) wife Mendes.
Last but not the least "John Billingsley", he justified his role.Last words, very gripping, heart throbbing and intense thriller and you will not feel like "Out of time" while watching this movie..
Now with time running out and the ax about to fall on him, by the DEA agents finding out he heisted the drug money, Wintlock can only hope that he get's to both Ann & Chris before the law gets to him as well as them skipping out of the country and leaving him holding the bag!***MAJOR SPOILER***Beautiful Florida photography as well as fine acting from it's cast especially the sexy and hot as a Florida summer Eva Mendez, who looks like a young Raquel Welch, as Wintlock's estrange wife Alex as Baryan Key's top homicide detective make the somewhat uneven storyline and unnecessary sub-plots in "Out of Time" more then watchable.
Even the opening credits have a touch of Rat Pack style to them but once all the fuss dies down, what we have here is a fairly average but competent thriller let down by a predictable story.Denzel Washington plays Chief Matt Whitlock, a cop in the sleepy Florida town of Banyan Key. Despite having recently divorced fellow cop Alex (Eva Mendes), Matt is enjoying an affair with local resident Ann Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) whose recent diagnosis with terminal cancer remains a secret from her abusive husband (Dean Cain).
As far as pacing (when the movie takes off), think 'Run Lola Run' meets 'Nick of Time'.I like that Denzel doesnt feel constrained to play one particular kind of role.
I have to agree with many people that posted before that this movie started off a little slow and that the plot isn't the most unique story out there, but all in all, Out of Time is still a solid whodunit film.
When a double-homicide takes place, things start get interesting for Denzel Washington's character as he tries to solve the mystery all while outrunning his fellow police officers who suspect he did the crime.Denzel did a great job in this movie as always, but it was his supporting cast that really surprised me.
I suspect the fact that they were appearing opposite the 'great' Denzel Washington (who made the part of Matt look so easy) allowed them to take their performances to another dimension.The only person who looked lost in this movie was Eva Mendes.The Florida landscape also added to the tension, as it was 'steamy' and made the characters a little crazy (i think).Kudos to Carl Franklin, the director.This is my kind of film - more of the same please!!!.
Matt Whitlock(Denzel Washington) who is the chief of police in Miami, discovers that a woman he has been secretly seeing (Sanaa Lathan) and her husband (Dean Cain) where burned to death in there house.
My only complaint was that it was a bit predictable, but it had me on the edge of my seat for portions of the film.Denzel Washington did a good job with this movie.
I hope Denzel Washington picks a better movie to star in next time.
Carl Franklin's "Out Of Time" is the second movie to team the director with star Denzel Washington.
We'll start with the stand-outs: .Sanaa Lathan who plays Ann Merai Harrison was really bad in this movie, it was painful to watch, out of all the actors her performance was really dry and uneven (how did she get this part!).John Billingsley as Chae was not too good either as the comic relief.
If any of you enjoy Denzel's acting, give this movie at least one viewing...he seriously is one of the great actors of our time!
Unfortunately, nothing happens in this picture, or perhaps, the principals were having a great time in South Florida and the film became something of a second thought.This is a predictable situation, where the viewer knows before hand what is coming next and how it will end.
This is just one of those movies that you watch when you are bored and nothing else is on.Next time I suggest a little mystery, maybe some suspense, and definitely a surprise ending.
This movie puts Denzel Washington's Florida police chief into a situation that seems to be dragging him further and further down.