Out of Sight

Although I triumphantly declared in my last review that it was high time for summer movies to start rushing the marketplace, "Out of Sight" is not exactly a summer movie, although it does involve tough guys, gunplay, and one (ahem) bodacious babe. The reason is that it is based on an Elmore Leonard novel. Leonard is often referred to as "beach reading," and you might make some sort of temporal connection between that genre and the summer movie category. There are some important distinctions to be made, though. For example:

• Summer movies have heroes who are obviously morally superior to their surrounding characters, to the point where they can disobey their putative superiors and shoot their enemies without incurring moral penalties. The strongest word you can use for an Elmore Leonard novel's main character, most of the time, is "protagonist." They follow a Chandlerian moral code where it's okay to steal but not to kill, except to kill certain people. In certain situations. And it's never okay to rape anyone, and Leonard protagonists tend to take pains to make sure this does not happen.
• Summer movies spend most of their time blowing up their own atmospheres. Elmore Leonard novels are dependent on a carefully constructed and maintained atmosphere, and any movie that does not take this into account will die horribly.
• Summer movies do most of their characterization during the discharge of high-caliber weapons. Leonard novels do their characterization through a sputtery, blunt dialogue so effortless it defies being called art, yet what else are you going to call it? Confrontations are verbal, not semiautomatic; tenseness is dictated by the situation and the personalities involved, rather than the presence of random barrels of flammable liquid or convenient lengths of pipe when losing fights.

I do not mean to say I don't like summer movies. (I don't think any of you have that impression, but...) But the point of all this digression is that summer-type movies are much easier to do badly and still be enjoyable. I enjoy bad summer movies all the damn time. But an Elmore Leonard novel is a harder thing to try, which is why it is such a special joy for me to come upon a well-done Elmore Leonard movie, like this one. ("Get Shorty" was a bit broad-humored for my taste; "Jackie Brown" had much of its untouchable dialogue altered by Tarantino, mainly for what seemed like the purpose of allowing Samuel L. Jackson to get in his contract quota of "nigger"s and "motherfucker"s, and was far, far too long.)

The movie presently under consideration is well-acted, at least if you can take George Clooney's smug smirkiness. I mean, I could, but I could see someone not being able to. Plus he has been in some useless movies ("Peacemaker," for one), and at least one that redefined "sucky" for the summer of 1997 ("Batman and Robin and Ahnold and Batgirl and That Heroin Woman from Pulp Fiction"), which may turn some of you off. I submit that about 80% of the smirkiness is required by the character he plays, and he does turn it off in one memorable scene during the courtship of U.S. Marshal Jennifer Lopez. Ving Rhames is great as always, Don Cheadle is becoming a good pro, and Lopez is a great choice for a Leonard Miami heroine (at least, I think. I may not have been paying enough attention to tell. She's really good-looking).

But what makes it most successful is the director, Steven Soderbergh, who lets silences that need to be in conversation stay there and has a feel for narrative rhythm (even if this movie is a bit overlong, too), and just in general, along with screenwriter Scott Frank, respects the book and lets it do what it needs to do. There is no moral certainty, the ending is uncertain, the protagonist is complex and ultimately at some level unsolvable. The highest praise I can give this movie is that it's exactly like reading the book.

Attractive Man Count: Clooney is a 1, Rhames is a 1. 2.

Attractive Woman Count: I am struck by how much Lopez resembles a Latina Gillian Anderson. Really. Check out the scenes in the hospital bed. 1.

Overall Grade: A. Check it out. I implore you.

This was the last review in which I used the "Believability," "Tension," etc. ratings I had relied on up to here. I deleted them here because they provide very little information. I managed to incorporate this stuff into my review! Another milestone.

Also I should have given J. Lo a lot more props for her booty. And I should have been nicer to "Jackie Brown," which was a better film than I remembered at that point. "Out of Sight" still kicks its ass.

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