Out of Sight – Review

Career bank robber Jack Foley (Clooney) can’t help himself from committing hold-ups, however this time his plan is foiled by a bad starter on his getaway vehicle. This sends him to Glades Correctional Institution in Florida; however, he doesn’t have any desire to stay through until the end of his sentence. He gets wind of a break-out plan from other inmates, who have dug a tunnel which will spit them out beyond the fence line.

He goes to work quickly, planning his own escape, and on the night of is able to make it through the tunnel and out to the parking lot where his friend Buddy (Rhames) is awaiting his arrival with a getaway car. Unfortunately, this plan is flipped on its head when U.S. Marshall Karen Sisco (Lopez) notices the escape, having just arrived at the prison to question an inmate. In the escape confusion, she is taken “prisoner” by Foley and Buddy, who throw her in the trunk with Jack and zip off to freedom in her car. The pair have time to talk while the car gets out of danger, which sparks an odd and interesting romance.

While that plot is a solid set-up, there is a lot more going on than initially meets the eye. A long history of incarceration for Foley and Buddy gave the pair of felons ample time to make additional nefarious criminal connections, most all of which come back with a vengeance against them. Foley and his newfound freedom must balance ongoing criminal antics with his newfound love interest in the law abiding Marshall, which plays out to amusing results.

The story is a wacky and fun crime caper full of ridiculous and even threatening characters, all told with a ton of energy and heaps of delight. Plot twists galore are met with great lines and wonderful reactions. Characters introduced are memorable, despite the large cast of noteworthy actors, which are too plentiful to mention.

Be advised… this is an all-around pleasing affair, which offers something for most any kind of viewer. One awesome detail is Michael Keaton’s character Ray Nicolette, who is the same character he played in Jackie Brown which had released the previous year (both movies are based on books by the same author, Elmore Leonard).