Out of Sight

I saw two movies this weekend that had absolutely nothing in common, except that I loved them both, but obviously for very different reasons.

First was Out of Sight, the newest Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown) adaptation. Leonard's books, despite their snappy, screenwriters-wish-they-were-this-good dialogue, have been famously ruined on the big screen (Three words: Burt Reynolds, Stick). Out of Sight had many things going its way from the beginning. The script was adapted by the man who adapted Get Shorty (Scott Frank, I think), and executive produced by Get Shorty director Barry Sonnenfeld. This time, he let Steven Soderbegh run the show, and it wound up getting the best of both worlds. It has Sonnenfeld's ultra dry humor and deft comic timing, with Soderbegh's visual style, which can get dizzying but never boring. This may be Soderbegh's best movie since his debut with sex, lies and videotape.

George Clooney plays Jack Foley, a master bank robber who sometimes loses touch with the details (For example, he pulled off an impromptu bank heist beautifully, but didn't consider the possibility that his car wouldn't start afterwards). Ving Rhames is Buddy, Jack's longtime partner with a penchant for confessing to his ex-nun sister about his activities (she ratted them out once). During a daring jail break to spring Jack, they take Federal Marshal Karen Sisco (the breathtaking Jennifer Lopez) hostage, though after spending some time in the trunk of Buddy's car together, Jack and Karen have something a little different than your normal kidnapper-hostage relationship.

The cast of supporting characters is just as colorful. Steve Zahn is Glen, a stoner ex-con "friend" of Jack and Buddy's, who tells them about this mega score in Detroit in the house of millionaire white collar con Ripley (an almost unrecognizable Albert Brooks). Don Cheadle (Boogie Nights, Volcano) is in cold blooded psycho mode as Maurice, an ex boxer turned ultra badass thug who also wants to muscle in on the Ripley mega score. Jack and Karen, meanwhile, are trying to figure out what to do about each other without letting on to either the Feds or the cons that they are falling in love.

It sounds contrived, but Clooney and Lopez have very good chemistry (Granted, Clooney has good chemistry with just about any female on the planet), and Clooney stopped doing that puppy dog look, which helps take him a little more seriously.

Still, he's not really acting, he's just likable George. But it works: This is the best movie role he's had yet, and he makes the most of it. Lopez, as much of a diva bitch on wheels as she may be (very few women in Hollywood can stand her), does a good job in this. Ving Rhames, well, he does little wrong in my book.

One thing I enjoyed about this movie was the fact that is was shot out of sequence. The opening of the movie, like Pulp Fiction, is not the first event that takes place in the movie. I found that interesting. It certainly keeps the viewer on his toes. Plus, it's fun to see things happen and wonder why they're happening, only to have the background explained to you maybe an hour later. There are also two great cameos in this movie, one of which was given away in our local paper but I will not reveal it here. One hint: fans of Quentin Tarantino movies will enjoy them both.

If you've got a Clooney bias (and I know a lot of people do), this may not change your opinion. But I found this movie darkly funny and clever. Box Office take? Please. I learned my lesson with The Truman Show.