Out of Sight

 3/4

Starring: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks, Steve Zahn, Dennis Farina

Rated R for Language and Some Strong Violence

"Out of Sight" is better described as a romantic comedy rather than a crime film.  Oh there's a crime plot, a jail break and some robberies, but that's just what is used to draw the two stars together.  This movie is all about George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez.

Jack Foley (Clooney) is the most successful bank robber in US history.  His m.o. is using his wits and his easy charm instead of a gun ("You'd be surprised what all you can get if you ask for it the right way," he explains).  But car trouble leads to him in the slammer again.  That doesn't stop Jack, and he escapes.  What he doesn't count on is kidnapping a federal marshal in the chaos.  Her name is Karen Sisco (Clooney), and she is a no nonsense type of officer.  But an intimate conversation in the trunk with Jack leads to an intriguing bond.  So even while she is chasing Jack and he is trying to pull another job, they grow more infatuated with each other.

What sets this movie apart is that it's smart.  The characters are smart in what they do and what they say (except in the case of a few characters who are intentionally dumb).  Few actors can project intelligence as well as Clooney and Lopez, and they don't disappoint.  Their performances are electric and their dialogue crackles with wit.  More importantly, they have chemistry.  Romantic chemistry doesn't get much more sizzling that this.

They're surrounded by a gifted supporting cast, including the ever reliable Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle at his scariest, Steve Zahn at his dopiest, and Albert Brooks as a sardonic money magnate.  They all do solid work, capturing little details of behavior and insight that make the people they play individuals rather than stock characters off the assembly line.

Steven Sodebergh has patience.  He doesn't get bogged down in special effects or violence (there is some, but it's beside the point).  He concentrates more on character interaction than plot.  He allows his actors to savor the dialogue, written by Scott Frank and based on a novel by Elmore Leonard.  There is a bit of a Tarantino vibe here, without the desperate quirkiness sought by his imitators.

If there is any flaw with the film, it's Karen.  She's so reserved that it's a bit harder than it should be to understand her feelings for Jack.  Whether it was how she was written or some of the choices Lopez made in portraying her, it's really the only thing holding the film back.

That aside, the movie is still a lot of fun.  It's clever, erotic, and has dialogue worth savoring.

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