{"id":9470,"date":"2013-07-01T21:14:25","date_gmt":"2013-07-01T19:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pinartarhan.com\/blog\/?p=9470"},"modified":"2013-07-01T21:14:26","modified_gmt":"2013-07-01T19:14:26","slug":"out-of-line-starring-jennifer-beals-and-holt-mccallany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pinartarhan.com\/blog\/out-of-line-starring-jennifer-beals-and-holt-mccallany\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of Line starring Jennifer Beals and Holt McCallany"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Out<\/a>
Image via imdb.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I have a soft spot when it comes to \u201cforbidden\u201d romance thrillers. I don\u2019t mean forbidden as in stories about cheating (though if the \u201ccheated\u201d party is a jerk, some great stuff can come from the it).<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m talking about stories where it\u2019s logically, ethically or even legally wrong for the couple to get together. Think FBI agent\/serial killer\u2019s wife (The Following<\/a>), witness\/cop (Blink<\/a>), lawyer\/client and so on.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying the movie isn\u2019t 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),\u00a0 the main characters \u00a0could have spent\u00a0 a bit more time together and some more background info on both would have made it all a bit more believable.<\/p>\n

But it is entertaining enough, and it looks like Holt McCallany was born to play an ex-con with \u201cdifferent\u201d kind of adaptation problems. OK, let\u2019s go over the plot and then you can see if this kind of \u201cforbidden\u201d romance thriller is up your alley too:<\/p>\n

Out of Line Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Saying no doesn\u2019t seem like an option, and a not-so-willing Henry agrees. What he wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s help on being able to talk to \u201cnice women.\u201d Jenny agrees after Henry accepts doing some community hours, and studying Tai Chi with her.<\/p>\n

So Henry\u2019s \u201cbusy\u201d life starts as a \u201cfree man\u201d, and things would work out so much better if Alfonso\u2019s man didn\u2019t keep bugging him. And things get further complicated when he and Jenny start being attracted to each other.<\/p>\n

Henry chooses to pursue Jenny despite the danger and well…things will go awry any minute…<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Out of Line is\u00a0fun, escapist entertainment. Despite a couple of scenes where you want to smack Henry around (the first make-out sessions, pursuing Jenny despite he\u2019ll 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>\n

 <\/p>\n

P.S. \u201cClaire\u201d is played by Keegan Connor Tracy, the Mother Superior\/Fairy of Once Upon a Time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

P.P.S. Is it just me or did several scenes of Holt remind you of John Travolta big time?<\/p>\n