Rent Out of Sight on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the novel (paid link)
Written by: Elmore Leonard (novel), Scott Frank (screenplay)
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Luis Guzmán, Catherine Keener, Dennis Farina, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A career bank robber breaks out of jail, and shares a moment of mutual attraction with a U.S. Marshal he has kidnapped.
Verdict
Clooney and his charisma give any movie a boost. He plays to type, a smooth talking criminal with a plan. While the story serves as little more than a spring board for the characters, they and the actors are engaging. You can't go wrong watching Clooney work his magic for the duration. I hesitate to recommend a movie based on his charisma alone, even adding his chemistry with Lopez, but this is a fun movie that always manages to seem clever despite the drawbacks.
It depends.
Review
In the opening scene, Jack Foley (George Clooney) leaves an office building and impulsively robs a bank. His plan is pretty slick. He picks a random person speaking to a manager as his 'partner.' That gives him time to get away while the teller waits for the 'partner' to clear. Jack is comically caught and ends up in prison. It isn't his first stint.
His character reminds me of his characters from O Brother, Where Art Thou? or Ocean's Eleven. He plays a suave mastermind type well and this is no exception. He has a ton of charisma.
Jack stages a prison escape, pitting the guards and other inmates against each other to ensure he safely gets away. He's got a ride lined up with his friend Buddy (Ving Rhames), but he didn't plan on recently promoted marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) showing up right as the escape is in progress. He decides to take her hostage as he can't just let her go.
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| George Clooney, Ving Rhames play Jack, Buddy |
He's quite talkative with his hostage, and it's because he's smitten. She's gets away because as crafty as Jack is, his help isn't always the most reliable. What he doesn't know is that she's thinking about him too. He's on the run and she's chasing him, but she has the chance to apprehend him and lets him go. It's this forbidden attraction upon which they can't act.
Jack and Buddy are headed to Detroit to steal diamonds, but so are other inmates Jack befriended in prison, Snoopy (Don Cheadle) and Glenn (Steve Zahn).
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| Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney play Sisco, Jack |
Flashbacks fill in the story, but this has great actors doing a great job with the characters. All of them are excellent, and we even get a few guest cameos.
Jack and Buddy manage to catch Snoopy before he steals the diamonds. While Jack is a criminal with standards, Snoopy is reckless. Jack has to balance Snoopy and getting the diamonds while trying not to harm anyone. All the while Sisco is on a task force hunting for them. Jack gets the diamonds and is just about to leave before he relents. He can't let anyone get hurt and Snoopy is still loose.
This is better than the average crime thriller. While the story leaves something to be desired, albeit with a few clever moments, the characters are a lot of fun though the parts are better than the whole.
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