"I wanted to make a film with lots of bounce," Franklin revealed at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. "There is a lot of suspense in the film and a lot of entertainment."
Washington usually goes for films that burn with intensity and are quite sober in comparison, Franklin explained.
The movie, which opens in North America on Friday, revolves around a Florida police chief Matt Lee Whitlock (Washington) who has to fight for his reputation, career, and even his life after being compromised in an extramarital affair.
His attractive lover Ann Merai (Sanaa Lathan) hides her own agenda from him. He gives her half a million dollars, recovered from a drug bust, hoping that it will help her with a life-threatening situation. But as Ann and her husband's home is burnt down, and two charred bodies are recovered, Whitlock knows he is in grave danger.
His problems become even more threatening when his estranged wife (Eva Mendes) is assigned to lead the investigation.
"It needed quite a bit of coaxing to get Denzel on," Franklin said, adding that he wanted to make a thriller and Washington needed to be convinced that it would be a very good thriller.
Franklin and Washington worked together on Devil in a Blue Dress more than eight years ago. The crime film, which also examined racial conflicts and wounds in Los Angeles, was based on a Walter Mosley novel. Despite getting mostly raves, it bombed at the box office.
This time, however, industry insiders believe Out of Time is destined for a solid run. For one thing, it is a far more entertaining film than the intriguing but grim Devil. Secondly, Washington's reputation has grown steadily in the past five years, especially after his Oscar for Training Day.
Even then, Washington hasn't forgotten the short run for Devil. When a journalist told him in Toronto that she had seen Out of Time the previous day and how much she enjoyed his work, he smiled: "I hope you were not the only one to see it."
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