Out of Time Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Out of Time Blu-ray Movie Review

Even Denzel Washington can't save this film from drowning in mediocrity.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner June 16, 2009

As I sat through Out of Time, I couldn’t help but feel I was watching something that's been done before. Combining elements of The Fugitive, Wild Things, and every other double-cross themed film that came before it, Out of Time borrows far too heavily from its predecessors and rarely finds an identity we can appreciate. Perhaps it’s the unsteady direction of actor-turned-director Carl Franklin, or the contrived script by Dave Collard (his only other writing credits include 14 episodes of the "Family Guy" televison show, Annapolis and The Wild), but I simply couldn’t buy into the continuous parade of “Whew, that was a close one” moments in the film.

Nothing like a coffee and newspaper to start the worst day of your life...

Matt Whitlock (Denzel Washington) is the seasoned police chief of a small town in Florida named Banyon Key. Estranged from his homicide detective wife (Eva Mendes), Matt rekindles a relationship with his high school girlfriend Ann (Sanaa Lathan), who’s married to Chris (Dean Cain), an abusive washed up quarterback. Believing Ann is dying of cancer and fearing for her safety with Chris, Matt takes $485,000 in recently seized drug money from his police safe and gives it to Ann with the intention of running away together. When Ann doesn’t arrive with her bags packed at the end of Whitlock’s shift, he assumes something terrible has happened, and drives out to her house to ensure everything is alright. Nothing appears out of the ordinary since nobody is home, but Matt’s clumsy snooping catches the attention of the next-door neighbor. The following morning, Matt responds to an arson fire at Ann’s house, with two dead bodies among the rubble. Knowing all signs will soon point to him, Matt attempts to throw the investigating detectives off his scent (who are led by his estranged wife), while desperately searching for the money he so carelessly lost.

I didn’t particularly like Out of Time, but I also can’t say it was a bad movie. The major flaw in the entire production is the ongoing attempt to remind the viewer we’re watching something clever. I love twists and double-crosses as much as the next guy, but I hate seeing them coming a mile away and having to sit patiently while the entire thing unfolds. If anyone watches this film and can honestly say they didn’t see the relationship between Ann and Whitlock from the moment he responds to the fake call at her house, then your going to be blown away by superior films such as The Usual Suspects.

Part of the blame has to fall squarely on the shoulders of the poorly written script, which allows Whitlock to utilize the same antics over and over again until we have to question the intelligence of anyone involved in the investigation. Whitlock isn’t a smooth-talking conman with a solution to everything. He’s an everyday guy who finds himself caught in a lie that holds absolutely no opportunity for escape. We know eventually everything will lead back to him, so the fact that he attempts to conceal his relationship with Ann is a foolish venture. It’s disappointing to watch a film that plays to the lowest common denominator and I felt Out of Time delivered on that in spades. Anyone with half a brain would have seen the peculiar antics of Whitlock and started to put two and two together, but it’s apparently much more convenient to dream up ways for him to narrowly avoid being caught. I doubt it was the director’s intention for me to begin rooting against Whitlock, but his actions throughout the film make him less and less noble as he lies and tampers his way to the inevitably obvious conclusion.

From an acting standpoint, Denzel Washington is the anchor of the cast. Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan offer little more than beauty (which is sad when you consider the potential I’ve seen in Sanaa), and Dean Cain gives his best performance since...well…nevermind… Without Washington in the leading role, I’m afraid this film may never have seen a theatrical release. I’ve always been impressed with his ability to steal a scene, but he appears to be sleepwalking through his role as Whitlock. His character is never sufficiently established (is he an emotional wreck, a confident leader, or simply a sucker for a beautiful body?), and he rarely exhibits the depth of his more memorable roles in Man On Fire, Training Day, or Fallen. I’m still a fan of Denzel Washington, but this is clearly not his best work.

Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the MPEG-2 codec (at an average bitrate of 17Mbps), Out of Time exhibits far too many inconsistencies to earn an above-average rating. Detail wavers from shot to shot, with a wide range of proficiency within the same scene. I almost have the impression the transfer would have been more effective if it displayed a constant level of softness, since the variance in consistency makes it difficult to stomach the lack of visual pop. Similar to the level of detail, colors appear a bit drab throughout the majority of the feature, with the exception of several shots that look so vivid they appear to be out of place. Anyone who's vacationed in Florida knows the scenery is highlighted by lush tropical foliage, but I can't say the transfer did an exemplary job in reproducing the sunlight drenched atmosphere. Continuing with the string of negatives, I noticed some obvious halos in an office sequence around the 12 minute mark, and there was an odd band of different shading along the right side of the screen at the 16:48 mark (it runs down the back of the doctor's head and appears to be a filter break of some sort). Lastly, I was a little annoyed by the amount of background noise from time to time. The worst instance is a bar scene around the 28 minute mark, where the noise creates a splotchy effect that's downright offputting. I'm not one to shy away from a reasonable amount of film grain, but judging from the noisy background, this didn't appear to be a natural layer of grain.

Overall, the Blu-ray edition should offer a reasonable step up from the DVD version, with increased detail, deep blacks, and appropriate contrast, but rarely manages to look as good as it could if given the proper treatment.

Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The primary audio offering on the disc is a DTS-HD MA track in the native language of English. While I can't say I was disappointed in the audio track, I felt it could have been better considering the amount of action in the film. This is meant to be an intense experience from start to finish, but I felt the track didn't do enough to heighten the tension as Whitlock runs around trying to ensure all the pieces fall into place. You'll still notice the occasional use of the rear surrounds from time to time, but the LFE track appears to be non-existant aside from a couple of musical numbers. Dialogue is reasonably proficient, with volume levels that typically contain a well-balanced feel, but I did notice two or three instances where I missed something that was said by a character. It doesn't help matters when Denzel Washington speaks as softly as he does, or when John Billingsley mumbles under his breath, but the audio track needed to show a greater level of clarity in reproducing the dialogue and effects in the film.

If you're a fan of Out of Time, I doubt you'll be disappointed in the audio portion of the technical presentation. It doesn't serve to elevate the production in any manner, but also doesn't dampen the overall experience.

Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Out of Time is one of several recent Blu-ray releases from MGM that contain a copy of the DVD release in addition to the Blu-ray. This appears to be a strategic move to provide special features without actually adding them to the Blu-ray disc itself. In general, I wouldn't consider this practice ideal (especially for anyone with an interest in director's commentaries) but it may partially account for the reasonable retail price of this Blu-ray release.

Having said that, I'm reviewing a single-disc rental copy of the Out of Time Blu-ray, so I'm not able to comment on the DVD special features included within the retail package. The only special feature included on the Blu-ray disc is the original theatrical trailer presented in high-definition with 2-channel audio.

Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Out of Time is a popcorn flick with little to no redeeming value. It doesn't succeed as a thriller and the overabundance of convenient twists becomes downright tiresome by the halfway point of the film. The technical qualities seem to match my opinion of the film itself, with a marginal presentation that appears far outmatched by the growing number of stellar Blu-ray releases. If you have any interest in the film, I'd recommend you consider a rental rather than a purchase, since I doubt you'll be revisiting Out of Time again in the near future.