Once again, Denzel Washington manages to make even the most lackluster movie enjoyable.
He’s done it before in hits like John Q, and his latest work, Out of Time, is another in a series of films that seems destined to be a hit because of Washington’s starring role.
The film showcases Washington as Matt Whitlock, a shady police chief in a South Florida town, whose life goes from bad to worse with a series of misguided decisions.
After Whitlock’s wife (Eva Mendes) temporarily leaves him, he finds himself cheating on her with his co-worker, who also happens to be married.
When she informs him she has cancer, Whitlock steals drug-bust money from the police vault to pay for her treatment.
After a mysterious fire in which two unidentified bodies are found, clues to both the fire and theft of the money point straight to Whitlock.
His cause isn’t helped any by the fact that his wife is now leading the charge to arrest him.
What follows is a series of twists and turns, as Whitlock is forced to lead an investigation of his own, while dodging the DEA and his own police force.
This movie depends on Denzel’s ability to portray vulnerability and a steadfast attitude at the same time; because without this, the plot simply doesn’t stand up.
Nevertheless, Out of Time is a worthwhile mix of action, suspense and even a sprinkle of comedy.
Washington’s dark side comes out as never before, as he bears some of the same traits as the crooked cop he portrayed in Training Day.
That role won him an Academy Award.
Washington churns out another good picture with Out of Time, and his star- quality alone is enough to make this movie truly enjoyable to watch.
No other actor can carry a film quite like him and Out of Time is further proof of his power in Hollywood.
Ross Bercik can be reached at rbercik@temple.edu
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