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“Out of Sight” at 25
It’s your thing, do whatcha wanna do
The bank teller didn’t expect to be robbed that day. Especially not by George Freaking Clooney.
But there he is, a waking dream in a perfect suit, politely demanding cash. No guns. No rudeness. Mild-mannered Loretta is so dazzled that she can’t decide if this is the worst moment of her life, or the best.
“Is this your first time being robbed? You’re doing great, Loretta,” Jack Foley (Clooney) assures her as she stuffs stacks of hundreds, fifties and twenties into an envelope. She’s thrilled to help. He’s being so sweet and calm about everything. I mean, look at him.
When Foley smiles and leaves with a wad of money not his own Loretta says, with complete sincerity, “Thank you.”
She just got robbed and it was — amazing.
Then Foley walks across the busy Miami street to his POS car, which won’t start no matter how many times he grinds the engine. And so, the handsomest bank robber in movie history has to go to prison. Again.
Steven Soderbergh’s “Out of Sight,” based on the Elmore Leonard novel, turns 25 this year, and it’s aging like good bourbon. Or Robert Mitchum. Or any of the best romantic crime noirs ever made. Attention: film canon gatekeepers. It’s time to reserve a space on the top shelf for…
