Out of Time

Until its unfortunate formulaic finish, Out of Time is one taut, twisty, and creatively startling noir thriller about a small-town Florida sheriff (Denzel Washington) whose affair with an alluring married woman (Sanaa Lathan) becomes one ethical misstep that links him to a double homicide--with all the evidence pointing to him as the prime suspect. Barely half a step ahead of both his own investigators and his FBI-agent ex-wife (Eva Mendes), Washington rushes to obscure the incriminating facts and clear his name though a day's worth of nail-biting close calls. Written by script rookie Dave Collard and tightly directed by Carl Franklin (who worked with Washington on the superb, under-appreciated Devil in a Blue Dress), the lion's share of this film moves fast and thinks sharp. But even though the climax goes limp with improbable Hollywood convention, the picture's problems are smoothed over considerably by a smart, savvy cast as spicy and sultry as the film's hot, duplicitous atmosphere. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Carl Franklin, a 12-minute 'Crime Scene' behind-the-scenes featurette, five character profiles, two outtakes, screen tests of five scenes (for Dean Cain and Sanaa Lathan), an image gallery slideshow segment, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a flawed but overall compelling thriller.] (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray Review—Nov. 13, 2018—Music Video Distributors, 105 min., PG-13, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 2003’s Out of Time features a nice transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras include a 'Crime Scene' behind-the-scenes featurette (12 min.), screen tests for costars Sanaa Lathan (6 min.) and Dean Cain (5 min.), character profiles (9 min.), a photo gallery (3 min.), and brief outtakes. Bottom line: a solid edition of a decent thriller.]