As many times as I've seen this film, this was the first time I ever really paid attention to that opening image of George Clooney throwing down his tie in frustration. I mean of course I've noticed it before (they even freeze frame on it) but this was the first time I ever really thought about it. An opening image is really important and sets the tone for everything that follows. So why open with this image?
When most people think of Out of Sight, the fist thing they think about is that trunk scene and the sexual chemistry between Clooney and Lopez. Back in 2008, Entertainment Weekly even ranked this as the #1 sexiest movie of all time. With so much palpable sexuality on display, it's easy to miss the frustration and compulsion that truly underscore the film.
If you remember your recent cinema history, this was the film that really turned around the career of Steven Soderbergh. After the initial success of Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989, Soderbergh quickly found himself scrambling to gain a real foothold in this industry. Film after film failed to significantly connect with both audiences and critics. Some were even starting to refer to him as a hasbeen. But what was he doing wrong? Mere years before, he was celebrated for his unique vision. Now like Jack Foley applying to work for Ripley, he's suddenly expected to do something else?
That's the kind of frustration that will bring out old habits. The kind of frustration that will make a man to rob a bank after just being released from jail for robbing a bank. It will also cause a filmmaker who is intent on going mainstream to fill his big Hollywood movie with flashbacks, freeze-frames and fantasy sequences. Foley and Soderbergh are both leopards who can't change their spots. It's a self-destructive compulsion that can't be stopped. It's in their nature.
Fortunately Soderbergh was aided and abetted (enabled?) by Clooney's smile and J-Lo's curves - the perfect distractions. This is also how he was able to inject so much formal experimentation into the Ocean's films. Pay no attention to the man behind the pretty people! Perhaps this is why his book was called Getting Away With It? I'm just glad Soderbergh's the type of criminal who never learns his lesson. Here's to recidivism!
When most people think of Out of Sight, the fist thing they think about is that trunk scene and the sexual chemistry between Clooney and Lopez. Back in 2008, Entertainment Weekly even ranked this as the #1 sexiest movie of all time. With so much palpable sexuality on display, it's easy to miss the frustration and compulsion that truly underscore the film.
If you remember your recent cinema history, this was the film that really turned around the career of Steven Soderbergh. After the initial success of Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989, Soderbergh quickly found himself scrambling to gain a real foothold in this industry. Film after film failed to significantly connect with both audiences and critics. Some were even starting to refer to him as a hasbeen. But what was he doing wrong? Mere years before, he was celebrated for his unique vision. Now like Jack Foley applying to work for Ripley, he's suddenly expected to do something else?
That's the kind of frustration that will bring out old habits. The kind of frustration that will make a man to rob a bank after just being released from jail for robbing a bank. It will also cause a filmmaker who is intent on going mainstream to fill his big Hollywood movie with flashbacks, freeze-frames and fantasy sequences. Foley and Soderbergh are both leopards who can't change their spots. It's a self-destructive compulsion that can't be stopped. It's in their nature.
Fortunately Soderbergh was aided and abetted (enabled?) by Clooney's smile and J-Lo's curves - the perfect distractions. This is also how he was able to inject so much formal experimentation into the Ocean's films. Pay no attention to the man behind the pretty people! Perhaps this is why his book was called Getting Away With It? I'm just glad Soderbergh's the type of criminal who never learns his lesson. Here's to recidivism!
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