ou Out of Sight (1998) Steven Soderbergh has brought some real class to the crime-caper genre, which hasn't seen much of that in a couple decades. Even George Clooney, whom I don't like very much even though I'd love for him to take me from behind, is excellent and believable – and this is a guy who had trouble keeping up with the competitive acting level during the waning years of "Facts of Life." Jennifer Lopez plays Karen Sisco, an FBI agent who doesn't get taken seriously at work because she's beautiful and has a tendency to date married men. Clooney plays Jack Foley, a somewhat legendary bank robber who breaks out of jail with a little help from his friend Buddy (Ving Rhames, excellent as usual). They kidnap Sisco when she stumbles onto their escapade, allowing for a scene where she and Foley are locked in the trunk of a car together – the perfect opportunity to discuss movies and careers. P art of the movie's central point is that romantic entanglements are based on "spark" rather than long-term compatibility – which is convenient, since it excuses the contrived relationship that develops between Foley and Sisco. But given the idea that in real life, people sometimes do fall in love like in the movies, we can suspend our disbelief enough to accept that sometimes people in the movies fall in love like in the movies, too. After ditching Sisco on a Florida freeway, Foley and Buddy make tracks for Detroit, where they plan to rip-off a former prison buddy (Albert Brooks, in perhaps his best character role ever) who, back in the real world, didn't repay Foley's jailhouse kindness with a promised legit job. The FBI manhunt becomes a game of cat-and-mouse for Sisco and Foley, who are inexorably attracted to each other even as they realize it can never work – after all, he's a bank robber and she's an FBI agent. Fortunately, it doesn't become a "Bonnie & Clyde" (as implied by an early allusion to that film), as both lead characters retain their professional integrity even after becoming romantically involved. The climax of the film, also, avoids a lot of the pitfalls associated with these caper-gone-wrong movies, not going for the typical "I won't shoot you until I've delivered this dramatic speech" approach. Very refreshing. Soderbergh's direction is visually interesting throughout the film, sometimes using stop-motion screen shots a la "Starsky & Hutch," but it never becomes cheesy or "aren't I clever" like Tarantino's shots almost always do. The film has a slight graininess to it and the set design has a vaguely anachronistic quality, but these are used more for atmosphere than content – so it appears as though the rein of the empty cultural reference may be ending. Thank Jesus. However, straight-to-video and cable movies will probably still be making pop culture references for years to come. Oh well, at least in those it's just something to do between Jacuzzi sex scenes. The supporting cast is rounded out by the always wonderful Don Cheadle, playing "Snoopy" Miller, a former boxer turned gangbanger ex-con, and Steve Zahn, hilarious as a stoner criminal who finds himself totally out of his league with the hardcore killers he winds up mixed up with. Michael Keaton shows up for an in-joke cameo, reprising his role as slightly clueless FBI Agent Ray Nicolet from Jackie Brown, and Dennis Farina plays Karen's (overly) affectionate father. Plus, a nice uncredited bit at the end by Samuel L. Jackson, who, to the best of my knowledge, is now featured in every film that gets released in this country. That must be one unusual contract. Tightly scripted and directed with a jump-cut chronology that goes out of linear sequence but never jars the viewer, Out of Sight is well worth seeing, and not just for Jennifer Lopez's underwear scene. Although it is well worth seeing for that reason as well. Man, she's smokin'! But also strong, independent and intelligent, sort of a rich man's Rosie Perez, minus the implicit threat of physical abuse. This isn't the best movie ever made, but it's one of the most satisfying movies I saw in the 90s, and that includes Now and Then. It's nice to see faux "hipness" becoming a texture rather than the main focus in 90s cinemafor awhile there it seemed like all you needed was a Brady Bunch reference for instant credibility. Man, back in my day, you couldn't get by without a seriously obscure "Kotter" reference at worst! I'm glad the mid-90s are over; man, bring on the monorails.
Review by Dolores Elizabeth Claiborne |