Today’s quick review: Out of Time. To pay for his lover Ann’s (Sanaa Lathan) cancer treatment, Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington), a police chief in a small Florida town, steals thousands of dollars in drug money seized as evidence. But when Ann and her husband turn up dead, Matt realizes that all the clues point to him. As he searches for the killer and the missing money, Matt must hide his involvement from his ex-wife Alex (Eva Mendes), the detective on the case.
Out of Time is a crime thriller with a decent mystery and an unusual source of tension. Matt’s greatest challenge is not his own investigation but slowing down the official one long enough to clear his name. With quick thinking and a bit of luck, he manages to avoid early suspicion, but he can only cover his tracks for so long. As such, Out of Time’s tension is at its highest during its most mundane moments, when a fax or phone call could destroy Matt’s ruse.
Unfortunately, Out of Time suffers from severe pacing issues. The first half-hour of the film is spent on setup, a doomed romance, and a dour cancer story. Most of the setup is extraneous, and the few key plot points could have fit into half the time. Once the thriller plot gets going, the movie gets more interesting. The movie skimps a little on its criminal side, but Matt’s maneuvers within the police department and the overarching mystery are both solid.
Watch Out of Time if you feel like a thriller and have the patience to sit through an unexciting setup. Out of Time’s plot and lead actors are good enough to make it a fine watch, but its inconsistent pacing and lack of villains keep it from being noteworthy. Skip it if you are looking for a fast-paced film or one with a lot of action.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a passable mystery held back by poor early pacing.