REVIEW: Out of Sight [1998]

Rating: R | Runtime: 123 minutes
Release Date: June 26th, 1998 (USA)
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director(s): Steven Soderbergh
Writer(s): Scott Frank / Elmore Leonard (novel)

Do you ever wear one that says ‘undercover’?

If Out of Sight is any indication, I really need to watch more Steven Soderbergh films. This movie is great on so many levels. I loved Traffic. The Limey is top-notch. And the Ocean’s movies are enjoyable even if I never really jumped on the bandwagon. Maybe it was my indifference to Erin Brockovich or the fact that he left his indie roots to kick it with the big boys, but I always pushed Soderbergh to the side to catch later. Well later is here. Out of Sight has pitch-perfect performances, a flawless mix of drama, action, and comedy, and just the right amount of stylistic flair.

The film starts by throwing us into the middle of a heist. We learn the back-stories of every character through current happenings and scene specific flashbacks in order to accept them for who they are and believe in their respective evolutions. George Clooney is great as usual—a smooth-talking, slick ladies man who gets the girl and the spoils. While he’s often knocked as not having much range as an actor, he sticks to his strengths and generally succeeds. His turn as a CIA agent in this year’s Syriana is well-deserving of an Oscar win and he’ll hopefully get credit for a career of solid performances full of natural charisma.

Ving Rhames shows us why he’s one of the best character actors working today. Someone you don’t mind seeing in every film. He doesn’t have much to do here (a part reminiscent to his Mission: Impossible character), but he plays it right and never misses a beat. Don Cheadle also shows the skill he’s finally been recognized for of late. The guy is great as the hero/good guy (Hotel Rwanda and Manic), but he equal to the task of villain here too with some real sadistic malice. You never know what he’ll do next because actually believe he’s capable of anything.

The movie also reminds me how good actors like Jennifer Lopez and Steve Zahn are with the right part. Zahn’s crazy, naïve vulnerability is exactly what’s needed to play against the serious sarcasm thrown around by Clooney’s Foley. He’s too often relegated to comedies that don’t give him a contrast to play against. He’s the consummate laugh man to any straight man. That’s his strength and I wish we saw him in more movies like this.

As for Lopez, she plays this role nicely. She exudes sensuality, quietly moving through the movie very low-key. Between this film and Oliver Stone’s U-Turn, she proves she can pull off the gritty dramas along with the saccharine fare she’s known for. And we cannot forget Albert Brook’s chameleon-like performance too. He’s virtually unrecognizable until finally speaking in the prison library. Expertly cast, his serious tone lends itself well to this corporate criminal by showing he means business while also letting his great comedic timing show through.

Behind it all is a great heist story from accomplished author Elmore Leonard. The brilliant performances draw you into this world completely to along for the ride without thinking twice. Soderbergh is an actor’s director whose use of large ensembles shows off an authentic camraderie that allows his cast to translate their fun to the screen. He’s an artist as well with these lower budget cinematic gems.

Like with The Limey, he injects a lot of flair. The still-frame effect is effective as a dissolve between scenes. It gets a bit much sometimes where there’s a small hitch, but overall works well for the caper story narrative. The visuals when he cuts between Lopez and Clooney at the hotel bar and room prove the film’s crowning achievement. With the bar conversation playing over the scene, we go back and forth between the sexual tension at the bar and the awkwardness of their bedside crush. It’s a great sequence remembered for its delicate care.

I hope to eventually see Soderbergh’s recent film Bubble and its subsequent digital companions in the future too. It will be interesting to see him direct non-actors to see if his skills are as good as they seem when handling professional egos. sex, lies, and videotapes and Schizopolis are entering my queue of movies to see, and I’m hoping Ocean’s Thirteen (filming soon) won’t ruin a good thing since Twelve came dangerously close to doing exactly that.