Out of Sight
[2.0/4.0]
Bank robber Jack Foley is a career criminal, but he's not a bad guy. As he is escaping from prison, he is forced to kidnap federal marshal Karen Sisco when she stumbles upon Jack emerging from a tunnel. Although she manages to escape from Foley and his accomplices, they both remain obsessed with each other. Foley eventually meets with some fellow ex-convicts in a planned robbery of a swindler who has a fortune in uncut diamonds hidden in his mansion. However, Sisco is on a crusade to find Foley, with or without the FBI, and she is closing in on him.
I had high expectations for the film since it was directed by Steven Soderbergh, but I was disappointed. It was not necessarily the direction that was weak, but the story had too much shallowness that no amount of direction could patch. This seemed to be a departure for Soderbergh in that this is a traditional Hollywood film, whereas he is usually helming more independent projects.
The basic premise of the story, the improbable attraction between the career criminal and the law enforcement agent, was just that -- too improbable. It is not that such romances are impossible, but rather that it was portrayed as love at first sight (or rather, love at first kidnap), and there was no apparent basis for their chemistry. Of course, Foley is portrayed as likable. He never does anything distasteful, and even his crimes are portrayed as victimless. Although this was meant to make him attractive, it made him unbelievable.
Another major problem is a lingering lack of tension. From an early point, we know where the story is going to go, and the film takes forever to get there. Adding in the fact that antagonists are sociopathic thugs that viewers are forced to hate underscores the blandness of the film. An interesting directorial flourish is the fact that the scenes of the story are not always presented in chronological order. The challenge of determining the proper sequence was really the only enjoyable part of the film for me.
Marginally Recommended. It may appeal to some viewers. It did not to me.
(c) 1999 Murali Krishnan The Art House Squatter http://pages.hotbot.com/movies/murali24/
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