Review of Out Of Sight

Introduction

An attractive young woman is holding a shotgun outside a Federal Courthouse in Miami. Who is she? A Federal Marshal, that`s who. And how is this relevant? Because, a few years ago, novelist Elmore Leonard saw this picture in a newspaper, and immediately connected with it. A picture tells a thousand words after all...

Flash forward to 1998, and screenwriter Scott Frank has adapted Leonard`s novel - Out of Sight - into a motion picture directed by Steven Soderbergh, the guy behind sex, lies and videotape. It is the story of serial bank robber Jack Foley, a guy who has spent most of his life behind bars. He`s robbed over 200 banks. He`s addicted to it. And he`s just been put back in jail. On the other end of the spectrum is Karen Sisco, a sexy Federal Marshal, whose job is to put guys like Foley in jail. Problem is, she`s going to have to apply those skills - because Foley has just broken out of jail, and since she had the misfortune to be by the prison when the jailbreak occurred, she has been kidnapped by him...

George Clooney is the suave and savvy bank robber, Jack Foley, and this is probably Clooney`s best performance of his career - always cool, always calm, and is almost steals the movie. Almost. But the incredibly sexy and radiant Jennifer Lopez also enjoys the finest role of her career (although one has to admit that her script choices post-Out of Sighht haven`t been all that great). When she is on frame one is not just drawn to her looks (OK, in certain shots...but go with me on this), but also her acting ability.

Video

It is presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, the visuals are deep and well defined, and there are no compression signs visible. There is no dust or grain on the print, and the transfer is crisp and clear throughout.

Soderbergh directs well, and it is easy to see that he is a talented helmer. From the intense action of a boxing ring, to the classic scene where Jack and Karen are in the boot of a getaway car - a strange place to meet for the first time, but then again, both of them are strange in some way, or at least on surface level they are.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and the surrounds are used well during the action scenes, and during scenes involving music. The main audio stream is crisp and clear, and the dialogue is presented well throughout.

The script is good, and for a novel adaptation it moves along briskly, but still manages to fit in all the description that is a part of Leonard`s work. It is a caper at heart, but it contains romance and a touch of humour - and slickness that one of the films it is compared to, Jackie Brown, just didn`t possess.

Features

Being an early Columbia release, it packs a fair amount of extras:

Feature Commentary - Director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Frank lend their vocals to this informative and anecdote-ridden track.

Inside Out of Sight - a 22 minute documentary about the making-of the film, featuring interviews from cast and crew. It`s pretty insightful, and makes a good companion to the commentary track.

Deleted Scenes - about 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes, which, like most deleted scenes, adds little to the plot, but it`s good to see they made the effort and packaged them on the disc.

Theatrical Trailer - 2 minutes worth of edited goodness.

Production Notes - several static pages of behind-the-scenes insight.

Soundtrack Selection - similar to an isolated score, it skips to scenes where David Holmes` music features heavily.

The menus are static with some music playing in the background. Only drawback? Navigating the bloody things...

Out of Sight is presented in a black Amaray case with an 8-page booklet containing production notes and chapter listings.

Conclusion

The film is a great mix of comedy, romance, drama and even the odd action set-piece...and thanks to expert acting and expert directing it comes together into one slick package. And here comes a word that plagues film reviewing - but. Ah. There is a drawback. Yep, there is, but nothing too major. The only thing that it could improve on is perhaps a couple more `cool` scenes (like the opening sequence), and perhaps a few more jokes put into the mix.

Disc wise, everything is A-OK - good presentation and good extras, although perhaps a slightly longer making-of and extended interviews would have improved the disc somewhat.

Overall, a recommended purchase, and added to the fact that at the time of going to press it is in some mega-deals, there is no reason not to find out why opposites do indeed attract...