The biggest shock about Out Of Time is that, after directing the lacklustre High Crimes, somebody still felt Carl Franklin was a sound choice for another corkscrew thriller.
Despite demonstrating some taut work early in his career with One False Move, on the evidence of this and its predecessor, Franklin appears at a loss when accentuating a plot's key moments.
Denzel Washington, as always, puts in a good performance, but we never truly relate to his changing character and, as a result, the necessary audience empathy doesn't emerge. Furthermore, Franklin squanders the obvious opportunity to generate some nail-biting anxiety, as Washington barely reveals a hint of shock, betrayal or panic as the pressure increasingly mounts.
As the reasonable neo-noir story meanders to an expected conclusion, some may be able to forgive and forget the frequent indiscretions. But for others, this is another thriller absent of any real thrills.