Out Of Time (2003)

(In theaters, October 2003) There’s not a lot that’s special about this film, but frankly there is no need to be fancy when you’re doing a Florida crime story. In this case, director Carl Franklin simply lets his stars do the work, whether it’s the always-dependable Denzel Washington, ladies Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan (both scorching hot) or the lush Floridian scenery. The story of an adulterous sheriff manipulated in a very risky situation, Out Of Time depends on an ever-increasing pit of lies, a plot device which usually drives me nuts but doesn’t actually work out too badly here. The tension increases as a basically decent protagonist allows one mistake to drag him deeper and deeper in trouble. Some of it gets ridiculous (Fax machine thrills! Scanning software-fu! Power cable action! PDA-GPS denouement!) but the film as a whole moves swiftly to its formulaic conclusion with nary a pause. No crime classic, that’s for sure, but there’s more than enough here for good old-fashioned thrills and entertainment.