OUT OF SIGHT

Elmore Leonard's novels have always been about character as crime, and the movie Out of Sight is no exception.

As much a romance as a crime caper, this Steven Soederbergh film is smooth, clever, and romantic to boot.

Jack Foley (George Clooney) is a criminal who relies on his brains instead of guns to rob banks. He escapes with the help of his friend Buddy (Ving Rhames), planning to steal a fortune in uncut diamonds from banker Richard Ripley (Albert Brooks), also in the prison. But as luck would have it, Federal Marshall Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) happens to be stopping at the prison just as Jack is climing out of a tunnel in the ground. Buddy wants to leave her, but Jack brings her along, joining her in the trunk during the getaway. Afterwards, the two seem obsessed with each other: Karen wants to be part of the task force that's chasing Jack, while he calls her from time to time to chat.

Back to the crime... As we learn from flashbacks, ganger Maurice Miller (Don Cheadle) wants to be part of the robbery -- but he's a lot more dangerous than Jack. There's alos Glenn Michaels (Steve Zahn), a stoner who is easily led. And Marshall Cisco (Dennis Farina), Karen's father and a cop, sees before she does how deep her interest in Jack goes.

Out of Sight is a combination of the star-crossed lovers (here, the criminal and the law enforcement official) and the robbery caper. Neither of these are completely original, but they flow together seamlessly here. Director Soderbergh makes the action stylized, but not so much that it's over the top (as in his Ocean 11-13 movies). George Clooney puts on his frequent charming rogue persona to good effect, and Jennifer Lopez is quite good as the romantic, yet officially determined, love interest. Add in a good supporting cast and a few surprises on the way, and Out of Sight becomes a pretty good crime-romance movie.

Overall grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch