Recipe for a successful Elmore Leonard book or movie: Quirky characters, shady hero, humor, sudden violence, clever plot twists. See `Out of Sight.' Recipe for an Elmore Leonard clone: All of the above, without the class.
The film ultimately suffers from what Roger Ebert calls the Talking Killer Syndrome. Instead of simply shooting their victims, the killers take time to explain the plot--obviously for the benefit of the audience. An explanation of the last plot twist is done rapidly so that its stupidity doesn't have a chance to set in.
Ben Affleck works hard as Rudy, the movie's main character, but he's too handsome and articulate to be believable as a car thief. He spends most of the movie being beaten, kicked, stuck with darts, shot at-and closing his eyes the numerous times he thinks he's about to be executed. Charlize Theron does better as the complex woman Rudy hitches up with once he gets out of prison. Gary Sinise and James Frain are fine as Theron's `brother' and prison bunk mate, respectively, but Clarence Williams III, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo and Dennis Farina are wasted in other secondary roles.
Veteran actor John Frankenheimer keeps the action moving with his usual straightforward, direction-no special effects but good action sequences. He's just stuck with a ridiculous plot. Skip this film and rent "Out of Sight" instead.
The film ultimately suffers from what Roger Ebert calls the Talking Killer Syndrome. Instead of simply shooting their victims, the killers take time to explain the plot--obviously for the benefit of the audience. An explanation of the last plot twist is done rapidly so that its stupidity doesn't have a chance to set in.
Ben Affleck works hard as Rudy, the movie's main character, but he's too handsome and articulate to be believable as a car thief. He spends most of the movie being beaten, kicked, stuck with darts, shot at-and closing his eyes the numerous times he thinks he's about to be executed. Charlize Theron does better as the complex woman Rudy hitches up with once he gets out of prison. Gary Sinise and James Frain are fine as Theron's `brother' and prison bunk mate, respectively, but Clarence Williams III, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo and Dennis Farina are wasted in other secondary roles.
Veteran actor John Frankenheimer keeps the action moving with his usual straightforward, direction-no special effects but good action sequences. He's just stuck with a ridiculous plot. Skip this film and rent "Out of Sight" instead.