Various Artists - Out of Time (2003)/Walking Tall (2004) (Region 1 Import DVD)

OUT OF TIME: Carl Franklin and Denzel Washington (DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS) reteam for this hilariously refreshing noir thriller. Washington is Matt Lee Whitlock, police chief of a small Florida town just outside of Miami. In the process of getting a divorce from the woman he still loves, Alex (the sultry Eva Mendes), Chief Whitlock has begun to have an affair with Anne (Sanaa Lathan), wife of abusive ex-football quarterback Chris Harrison (Dean Cain). When he learns that Anne has terminal cancer and doesn't have long to live, Whitlock's stupidity gets the better of him. To help her out, he steals $450,000 in cash that is waiting to be sent to the feds. But when both Anne and Chris are found dead the next morning, all the signs point to Whitlock. As the clamps begin to tighten and the excuses lose their already shaky groundings, Whitlock must use his cunning to track down the money and clear his name once and for all. Gleefully subverting typical film-noir conventions, first-time screenwriter David Collard's script is an utter delight. Featuring outstanding supporting turns from Lathan and Mendes, OUT OF TIME is a rollicking ride through the swampy haze of southern Florida WALKING TALL: WALKING TALL, a remake based on the popular series of 1970s films by the same title, is all about The Rock. He is larger than life, buff, beautiful, and mad as hell--ready to fight a wave of corruption, gambling, and drugs that have infiltrated his hometown. He plays Chris Vaughn, a man who is returning to his family in Tennessee after serving in the military. But right off the bat, he can tell something is fishy. The lumber mill has closed down and now there are kids on the streets doing drugs. Chris is almost killed when he confronts his high-school rival, Jay (Neal McDonough), who replaced the honest lumber business with a highly illegal casino. Chris reports Jay's dirty business to the cops, only to learn that even the sheriff is on Jay's payroll. The final straw comes when Chris's nephew overdoses on crystal meth bought at the casino, and Chris decides take Jay down vigilante-style, breaking all the rules and fighting for what is right. Massive brawls, with The Rock at their center toting a large 2x4 as his only weapon, provide for some highly destructive, very violent face-offs. Ray (Johnny Knoxville) stands by Chris's side, providing comic relief throughout the relentless fighting, and the blond and bronzed Kristen Wilson provides some risqué allure as Chris's love interest. WALKING TALL offers a little something for any fan of The Rock.