Post by The Narrator Returns on Jun 16, 2013 18:38:57 GMT -6
At the end of his book, Getting Away With it, Steven Soderbergh starts getting back to making movies (instead of writing, and procrastinating on writing, on scripts for other people). At first, he wanted to film Charlie Kaufman’s script for Human Nature (which ultimately went to Michel Gondry), but then a head at Universal slipped him the script to Out of Sight, an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel, when they couldn’t commit to financing Human Nature. Eventually, Soderbergh said yes to it, and it was released in 1998. Despite fantastic reviews and a cast including George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, audiences just didn’t show up, and it had to wait for DVD to pick up a bigger following. Now, it’s regarded as one of the very best films of the 90s, and for good reason. It’s absolutely perfect.
Jack Foley (Clooney, whose charms have never been used better than they are here) is the smoothest criminal around. He doesn’t use guns or knives to rob banks, he does it with his words and his charm. Unfortunately, one robbery proves less than successful due to a faulty engine in the getaway car, so Jack gets thrown back in prison. He gets word of a prison break, and he arranges for Buddy (Ving Rhames) to pick him up. However, federal marshal Karen Sisco (Lopez) happens to be there too, so Buddy and Jack ask fast and put her and Jack in the trunk of her car. While they’re in the trunk, Jack and Karen seem to fall for each other, but before they can go very far, they stop, and Karen gets put in the car of Glen (a hilarious Steve Zahn), where she gets injured in an accident. And then Jack and Buddy have to head to Detroit for a job they set up two years ago, where they rob the house of Wall Street felon Richard Ripley (Albert Brooks), where he has millions of dollars worth of uncut diamonds. Will Karen stop them in time? Will her and Jack realize their feelings? Given the film’s old-Hollywood feel, you can probably guess the answers to both of those questions. And that’s not a bad thing.
I’m not exaggerating when I saw the film is completely perfect. It really is. Every element works as well as it needs to. There are great performances from everyone in the cast, including those I’ve already mentioned as well as Don Cheadle, Dennis Farina, Luis Guzman, Viola Davis, Catherine Keener, and Nancy Allen. The film is helped immensely by its Oscar-nominated screenplay by Scott Frank, witty and cool. It’s edited exactly right, but when the editor of Lawrence of Arabia, Anne V. Coates, is doing the editing, you should expect that. And the score, oh boy, the score. It elevates every scene that uses it, and it’s pure ear candy on top of that (thankfully, Soderbergh would have the good sense to bring its composer, David Holmes, back for later films). And since it’s a Soderbergh movie, it is non-linear, flashing back between many different locations, but it’s not confusing, and it enhances the film altogether. And of course, Soderbergh experiments with colors, giving prison scenes a generally washed-out feel, and the scenes in Detroit a heavy blue tint (it’s a visual representation of the depression one feels when going to Detriot). I’m still kind of amazed that it didn’t find its audience at the time of its release, since I don’t think anyone couldn’t succumb to its charms. It’s the perfect popcorn movie, sexy, funny, and exciting all the way through.
Grade: A
Lester Scale: Masterpiece
The Soderbergh Players: George Clooney began his many collaborations with Soderbergh here, as he would later star in all three Ocean’s movies, as well as The Good German and Solaris. Don Cheadle would also appear in the Ocean’s movies, as well as Traffic, with Luis Guzman, who appeared in The Limey as well. Catherine Keener would later appear in Full Frontal, and Viola Davis would make a small appearance in Traffic, and a bigger supporting role in Solaris.
This would Soderbergh’s final film photographed by Elliot Davis, and his first to be scored by someone other than Cliff Martinez. David Holmes would be back for the Ocean’s movies (whose scores might be the best things about them) as well as Haywire (whose score is definitely the best thing about it). Anne V. Coates would later edit Erin Brockovich.
Jack Foley (Clooney, whose charms have never been used better than they are here) is the smoothest criminal around. He doesn’t use guns or knives to rob banks, he does it with his words and his charm. Unfortunately, one robbery proves less than successful due to a faulty engine in the getaway car, so Jack gets thrown back in prison. He gets word of a prison break, and he arranges for Buddy (Ving Rhames) to pick him up. However, federal marshal Karen Sisco (Lopez) happens to be there too, so Buddy and Jack ask fast and put her and Jack in the trunk of her car. While they’re in the trunk, Jack and Karen seem to fall for each other, but before they can go very far, they stop, and Karen gets put in the car of Glen (a hilarious Steve Zahn), where she gets injured in an accident. And then Jack and Buddy have to head to Detroit for a job they set up two years ago, where they rob the house of Wall Street felon Richard Ripley (Albert Brooks), where he has millions of dollars worth of uncut diamonds. Will Karen stop them in time? Will her and Jack realize their feelings? Given the film’s old-Hollywood feel, you can probably guess the answers to both of those questions. And that’s not a bad thing.
I’m not exaggerating when I saw the film is completely perfect. It really is. Every element works as well as it needs to. There are great performances from everyone in the cast, including those I’ve already mentioned as well as Don Cheadle, Dennis Farina, Luis Guzman, Viola Davis, Catherine Keener, and Nancy Allen. The film is helped immensely by its Oscar-nominated screenplay by Scott Frank, witty and cool. It’s edited exactly right, but when the editor of Lawrence of Arabia, Anne V. Coates, is doing the editing, you should expect that. And the score, oh boy, the score. It elevates every scene that uses it, and it’s pure ear candy on top of that (thankfully, Soderbergh would have the good sense to bring its composer, David Holmes, back for later films). And since it’s a Soderbergh movie, it is non-linear, flashing back between many different locations, but it’s not confusing, and it enhances the film altogether. And of course, Soderbergh experiments with colors, giving prison scenes a generally washed-out feel, and the scenes in Detroit a heavy blue tint (it’s a visual representation of the depression one feels when going to Detriot). I’m still kind of amazed that it didn’t find its audience at the time of its release, since I don’t think anyone couldn’t succumb to its charms. It’s the perfect popcorn movie, sexy, funny, and exciting all the way through.
Grade: A
Lester Scale: Masterpiece
The Soderbergh Players: George Clooney began his many collaborations with Soderbergh here, as he would later star in all three Ocean’s movies, as well as The Good German and Solaris. Don Cheadle would also appear in the Ocean’s movies, as well as Traffic, with Luis Guzman, who appeared in The Limey as well. Catherine Keener would later appear in Full Frontal, and Viola Davis would make a small appearance in Traffic, and a bigger supporting role in Solaris.
This would Soderbergh’s final film photographed by Elliot Davis, and his first to be scored by someone other than Cliff Martinez. David Holmes would be back for the Ocean’s movies (whose scores might be the best things about them) as well as Haywire (whose score is definitely the best thing about it). Anne V. Coates would later edit Erin Brockovich.