I have a soft spot when it comes to “forbidden” romance thrillers. I don’t mean forbidden as in stories about cheating (though if the “cheated” party is a jerk, some great stuff can come from the it).

But I’m talking about stories where it’s logically, ethically or even legally wrong for the couple to get together. Think FBI agent/serial killer’s wife (The Following), witness/cop (Blink), lawyer/client and so on.

Here we have another fun, but a no-no in real life, pairing: Parole Officer/Parolee. And to make it even more dangerous, of course the parole officer is female (Jennifer Beals) and the guy is the parolee (Holt McCallany).

I’m not saying the movie isn’t flawed. Some parts are totally overdone, reminding me of some 80s thrillers (though this one is subtle in comparison, being made in 2001 and all),  the main characters  could have spent  a bit more time together and some more background info on both would have made it all a bit more believable.

But it is entertaining enough, and it looks like Holt McCallany was born to play an ex-con with “different” kind of adaptation problems. OK, let’s go over the plot and then you can see if this kind of “forbidden” romance thriller is up your alley too:

Out of Line Story

Henry Brule (Holt McCallany) has been in prison for 8 years, with more years to go. He is a though guy who can more than handle himself, and this catches the eye of Alfonso, a fellow con with an axe to grind. The deal is simple: Henry will be paroled through several strings, he will seduce the girlfriend (Claire) of the guy who screwed over Alfonso and kill him.

Saying no doesn’t seem like an option, and a not-so-willing Henry agrees. What he wasn’t planning on was having a beautiful and caring parole officer, Jenny, and having lost some normal social interaction skills on the inside. When his first attempt to seduce Claire backfires, he enlistst Jenny’s help on being able to talk to “nice women.” Jenny agrees after Henry accepts doing some community hours, and studying Tai Chi with her.

So Henry’s “busy” life starts as a “free man”, and things would work out so much better if Alfonso’s man didn’t keep bugging him. And things get further complicated when he and Jenny start being attracted to each other.

Henry chooses to pursue Jenny despite the danger and well…things will go awry any minute…

*

Out of Line is fun, escapist entertainment. Despite a couple of scenes where you want to smack Henry around (the first make-out sessions, pursuing Jenny despite he’ll eventually have to hurt her either way….), he is generally a likeable character. His adaptation problems and lack of flirting skills are pretty funny, and he does vulnerable vs. tough, nice vs. rough, passionate vs. clear-headed well. And Jennifer Beals is lovely too.

 

P.S. “Claire” is played by Keegan Connor Tracy, the Mother Superior/Fairy of Once Upon a Time.

P.P.S. Is it just me or did several scenes of Holt remind you of John Travolta big time?