|
Plot:
|
A superior Elmore Leonard adaptation and critical
favorite, Out of Sight reenergized Steven Soderbergh's
directorial career and confirmed George Clooney
and Jennifer Lopez's movie star quality. With
Scott Frank's screenplay sticking closely to the
eccentric source, Soderbergh infuses the unlikely
connection between charmingly laid-back con Jack
Foley and no-nonsense Fed Karen Sisco with a passionately
cool romanticism; the intricate flashback structure
renders their pairing a dreamy fait accompli even
as Jack's line of "work" and comically shady associates
accentuate its impossibility. The funky musical
vibe and stylish cinematography, replete with
velvety nights, bright Florida days and astutely
witty freeze-frames, neatly match the story's
shifting moods. Along with the two stars, the
gifted ensemble cast, including Ving Rhames, Don
Cheadle, Dennis Farina, Steve Zahn, Albert Brooks,
and Catherine Keener, is perfectly pitched to
Leonard's wry humor; Lopez and Clooney's sultry
onscreen chemistry is evident from the moment
they "meet cute" in a car trunk. Though not a
summer bonanza, Out of Sight still became Soderbergh's
biggest success since sex, lies and videotape
(1989), and won the National Society of Film Critics
awards for Best Film, Director and Screenplay
over future Oscar darlings Saving Private Ryan
and Shakespeare in Love.
|
©
2004, 