Are You With Us?: Out of Sight
By Ryan Mazie
January 16, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Soerbergh is quoted as having directed Out of Sight, an adaptation of a novel by Elmore Leonard, as a conscious effort to break out of the arthouse film world (which he did successfully with the one-two-three $100 million+ punch of Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and Ocean’s Eleven). One of my favorite authors, Leonard’s darkly humorous stories are often troublesomely translated to the screen. For every Jackie Brown, there is a Big Bounce, Killshot, or Be Cool. However, thanks to Soderbergh’s expert pacing and composition (as well as Scott Frank’s sharp screenplay and perfect casting), Out of Sight is less of a Touch than a Get Shorty as far as Leonard adaptations are concerned.
As to be expected from Soderbergh, Out of Sight does not fall into any typical genre. Light enough to be a comedy, intense enough to be a drama, thrilling enough to be an action movie, and sexy enough to be a romance flick, Out of Sight effortlessly dances through the different tones with finesse. George Clooney stars as career thief Jack Foley. Suave like his Ocean’s character (among many other collaborations he does with Soderbergh) but more dangerous, it isn’t hard to see why he so easily wins over the heart of the romantically-challenged U.S. Federal Marshall Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) in a trunk of a car during a jailbreak gone awry.
Scott Frank wisely time jumps with his screenplay, avoiding a lengthy and boring exposition, substituting efficiency. The plot eventually builds into a diamond heist, with Foley looking for one last big pay day before retiring from a life of crime with Sisco on his tail (although we are not sure if she wants to throw him behind bars or into her bedroom). The story jumps locations, too, from the yellow-tinted hot and sunny Miami to the heavy shades of blue Soderbergh’s lens captures in the cold and snowy Detroit.
With a laundry list of a cast, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, and Steve Zahn are the highlighted supporting characters. Rhames is self-righteous although he can’t help but blab about his seedy misdeeds to his sister. Cheadle is brilliantly “gangsta” in an over-the-top hilarious performance that is both comical and menacing. Meanwhile, Zahn brings the most blatant laughs as an unreliable stoner accomplice to Foley.
Watching the trailers for the film, I never felt like the unique tone was properly conveyed. Instead, it makes the movie seem like a Frankenstein’s monster of genres. They also strangely emphasized Soderbergh’s name. While he was known for his ’89 debut sex, lies and videotape, he quietly drifted away from the public. Even today, Soderbergh’s name sadly doesn’t seem to hold much significance for the greater movie going public.
For his first mainstream film, even though it has the twisty-genre touchstones of independent filmmaking, Out of Sight goes without a hitch. Proving his skills in both worlds of filmmaking, I am happy to see that Soderbergh still dabbles into both the big-budget and low-budget arenas. While the success of the Ocean’s franchise and Contagion pay the bills in a way that is not embarrassing, he is allowed a few million to go off and make interesting projects like the under seen four and a half hour epic biopic Che and the barely-feature-length-77 minute experimental romp The Girlfriend Experience (both of which I’d recommend).
Released June 26, 1998, the R-rated flick (more suited for a fall or winter release, I feel) debuted at #4 with a so-so $12 million against a near-$50 million budget. While it earned raves from the critics (it is 93% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes) and was rightfully nominated for two Oscars (one for best adapted screenplay), Out of Sight went the way of its title. Surprisingly the film had no legs, wrapping up at $37.5 million ($63.8 million today).
The low gross took me aback at first, but then I realized this was 1998. Genre hopping was not the mainstream norm; George Clooney was still on ER and had no real hits on his resume outside of the disastrously received Batman & Robin. Jennifer Lopez was still considered “a serious actress.” While today the concept might have been a hit, it is easy to see why audiences didn’t exactly flock to theaters to see it.
Clooney excels as Jack Foley, taking the con cad above a two-dimensional level. Lopez also holds her own, although she is a tad too glamorous at times to be believable. However, their chemistry is undeniable. Even with barely any nudity, the two get ranked on many lists for the steam they produce together. In November 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked Out of Sight #1 on their list of sexiest movies ever. You can argue with my opinion, but you can’t argue with the facts that this movie is definitely with us.
Clever, sexy, thrilling, and with a bullet-shooting climax, Out of Sight is a film that seemingly has everything you could possibly want. Ignore the DVD cover with the stars' giant, floating heads, the awkwardly big photoshopped gun, and the typically lame pull quote. What is inside the case is a super stylish and slick flick that audiences got wrong the first time around.
Deceptively average looking, “average” isn’t a word in Steven Soderbergh’s filmography. A case of not judging a book by its cover (sorry Magic Mike and Liberace), Out of Sight will be hard to get out of your mind.
Verdict: With us
8 out of 10