Throughout his long, illustrious, and hugely successful career, Steven Soderbergh has resolutely refused to allow himself to be pigeonholed, although the evidence does suggest that the light and breezy crime caper could be his forte. Ocean’s Eleven ranks as one of the greatest remakes of all-time, but Out of Sight might just be his best ever as a director.
A 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes score puts it second among his back catalogue behind only breakthrough classic Sex, Lies, and Videotape, while the phenomenal combination of steamy romantic drama and expertly-executed heist caper went a long, long way to re-establishing George Clooney’s credentials as a reliable leading man in the wake of the Batman & Robin debacle.
The actor’s Jack Foley is a charming and charismatic bank robber who escapes from prison, before ending up in the personal and professional crosshairs of Jennifer Lopez’s federal marshal, with the actress also delivering one of the finest turns of her entire career as the relentlessly smitten Karen Sisco.
And yet, a Reddit thread has emerged claiming that not only is Out of Sight unworthy of its reputation, but it’s an actively bad film. As you’d imagine, the comments and replies are swamped with the terrible take being burned to the ground, with many echoing the sentiment that even after 25 years, Soderbergh has yet to produce anything anywhere near as excellent.
Opinions are a valid part of the online discourse, it should be noted, but there are a million different reasons why Out of Sight has held onto its well-earned modern classic status for so long.