# Out of Sight (1998)

### reviewed by
Homer Yen

"Out of Sight" - Clooney Robs Banks, Steals the Show

Who said that the bad guys were the ones that always ran from the law? If you find the rare opportunity to talk to a person like Jack Foley (George Clooney), you'll find out that he's intelligent, personable and loves the movies. He has admirable principles, possesses an understated charm, and is a likable guy. Never mind the fact that he has been a bank robber throughout his life, and never mind the fact that he has just escaped from prison.

During his escape, Foley is forced to take hostage FBI agent Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez). However, Foley doesn't resort to threats and scare tactics during this period of tension. Rather, he is collected and begins to engage in a conversation about his ex-wife, friends and his love of movies. Though she is scared, there's a sort of comfort that she gets from his voice. A strange but believable attraction begins to take shape. "What if we met under different circumstances," he muses. Yet despite their developing bond for one another, Sisco knows that she ultimately must arrest the escaped convict. Meanwhile, Foley has his own agenda, which leads him and his friend Buddy (Ving Rhames) to Detroit where a former inmate now lives. This inmate (Albert Brooks) once ill-advisedly bragged how he kept $5 million in diamonds at his place. For Foley, this could be his big break. If he can successfully pull off the robbery, allude the tenacious Agent Sisco, and also stay ahead of a rival gang of former inmates who also know of the diamonds, he can retire and escape to some far away island.

"Out of Sight" incorporates much of the skewed humor, sharp dialogue and absurdly violent situations seen in "Jackie Brown" and "Get Shorty" (in fact, all these movies are adapted from work by Author Elmore Leonard). This is the kind of film where we become more interested in what a character thinks and not what he does. Clooney does a terrific job as a man who is constantly looking for ways to maneuver through various obstacles in order to reach his goal, whether its finding a way to meet Sisco or finding the stash of diamonds. Lopez is also very good and projects the right look of a woman who wants to make the arrest while teasing with the idea of first having an affair with him. Together, they have chemistry and a smoldering sexuality. Meanwhile, they are surrounded by a colorful and rich cast of supporting characters, and each of them gets ample opportunities to show us how unique, strange, and odd their crime world is.

The film makes me wonder how interesting it must be to be a part of this kind of world, as fragile and hostile as it may be. The film's greatest pleasure comes from it's dialogue. Add a funky electronic piano and bluesy guitar score, and you have a film that looks good, sounds good and feels hip.

    Grade: B

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