New Leonard Adaptation
Really is Out of Sight

There is one writer in the mystery genre who has a knack for creating unusual -- yet completely believable -- characters: Elmore Leonard. Thankfully, someone has seen how well his novels lend themselves to the screen. In the past couple of years, we've seen Get Shorty and Jackie Brown. Now the makers of the former have returned to give us Out of Sight.

In the film, George Clooney stars as Jack Foley, a big-time bank robber who thinks he can get anything he wants if he asks for it the right way. Jack has spent the past several years robbing more banks than anyone in the FBI's files, but he has never used a gun. He talks his way through each crime, and he does so with finesse.

When Jack breaks out of prison (using a break-out by six Cuban prisoners as a cover) he finds himself looking at the business end of a shotgun held by Federal Marshall Kate Sisco (Jennifer Lopez). Luckily for Jack, his friend Buddy (Ving Rhames, from Mission: Impossible) is covering his back. Buddy stores Jack and the beautiful fed in the trunk of her car and heads off toward Miami.

After Kate puts a monkey-wrench into his getaway, Jack is smitten. Because of their brief interlude in the trunk of the car, he is reluctant to leave for Detroit without seeing her again. Kate, likewise, is determined to track down the escaped felon. It becomes something of the classic dance between hero and villain, but with sexual overtones.

In Detroit, Jack wants to steal some uncut diamonds from Richard Ripley (Albert Brooks). For Jack, this is a personal vendetta, since Ripley failed to help him after his last release from prison. There may be trouble waiting for him, however, because an old rival named Maurice "Snoopy" Miller (Don Cheadle) is hoping to make the same score.

Clooney has had trouble making the transition to the big screen. He has jokingly accused himself of killing the Batman franchise after his portrayal of the Dark Knight in Batman and Robin. Nevertheless, his departure into the realm of the anti-hero may have helped him find his niche. As Foley, the good bad-guy trying to make it big, he shines. There is a charm to Clooney that he shares with the con-man, and he plays it well.

There are also some surprising guest appearances. Dennis Farina (who played Ray Bones in Get Shorty) does a great job as Karen's father. Michael Keaton appears briefly as ATF (now FBI) agent Ray Nicolet, the same character he played in Jackie Brown. One of the most surprising cameos comes in the very last scene, but I'll leave that one for you to see.

The direction in Out of Sight is a thing of brilliance. While the story skips occasionally to Foley's past two years, there is an understanding of the chain of events and why they are inserted throughout the story. Had the story been told chronologically, it would have undoubtedly been more confusing.

The gritty, real feel of prison or life on the run is tempered by the compulsions and obsessions that drive Leonard's characters. A father gives his daughter a gun as a present. A con calls his religious sister to confess to his crimes. Another refuses to take off his sunglasses -- even at night -- because he sees better with them on. Yet, as always, it is Leonard's dialogue that stands out in his work. The snappy banter alone is worth the price of admission.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 121 min.