Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a crackerjack entertainment. Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, it’s both romantic comedy and crime drama, but the romantic comedy dominates. Serial bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney) breaks out of a Florida prison, and as part of the escape, he is forced to briefly abduct a U. S. Marshal (Jennifer Lopez). The two are locked together in a car trunk during his getaway--probably the oddest meet-cute in Hollywood history--and they fall in love. They can’t stop thinking about each other afterward. He’s off to Michigan to pull the proverbial one last score, and she’s hot on his trail, but it’s not clear whether she’s out to capture him, romance him, or both. The thought of romance appeals to him, and he lets her stay close, but not close enough to make an arrest. (The film’s big romantic moment is the one time he decides to take his chances.) Clooney and Lopez have terrific chemistry, and neither has ever been better on screen. Both radiate intelligence, and her sexy no-nonsense toughness perfectly complements his trademark roguish charm. The screenplay, credited to Scott Frank, retains the novel’s sharp, witty dialogue and its terrific character ensemble. Each member of the large supporting cast--Nancy Allen, Albert Brooks, Paul Calderón, Don Cheadle, Viola Davis, Dennis Farina, Luis Guzmán, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Keener, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn--gets a chance to shine, and they shine bright. Soderbergh’s direction is sleek, stylish, and never in a hurry. He seems to know a viewer wants to enjoy these characters for as long as possible. When he makes a point of showing his directorial hand, as he does with the film’s editing flourishes, the effects tend to be in the material’s spirit: both funny and romantic. Elliot Davis provided the cinematography, which is color-coded to the Florida, Michigan, and Texas locales. The editing is credited to Anne V. Coates. The musical score is by David Holmes.
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