Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Out of Sight
1998
***
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks, Dennis Farina, Luis Guzmán, Isaiah Washington, Karen Allen, Viola Davis, Michael Keaton

Serial bank robber Jack Foley and U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco start a sexy game of cat and mouse after he escapes from prison and heads towards Detroit for a big score. Steven Soderbergh's crime caper is cool and stylish, but oddly underwhelming. The performances and dialogue are great, but the plot is confusing and implausible. I guess anything can happen when you're hot like George Clooney or Jennifer Lopez. Scott Frank's screenplay is based on Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel and it's very similar to the writer's other stories, like Get Shorty and Jackie Brown. There are good crooks and bad crooks, and the good ones win.