Third Man Out (2005)

Chad Allen made his debut as Donald Strachey, openly gay detective based in Albany, New York in Third Man Out. Allen is hired by Jack Weatherell noted gay blogger whose specialty is outing closeted gays, especially those in conservative clothing. But now one of those who Weatherell is gathering research on is maybe looking to kill him. The usual death threats have been made and there have been incidents.The subject of outing is still a controversial one, but becoming less and less because as the forces of fundamentalist religion and the homophobia they engender denies our access to equality in the USA and other places in the world. There is more and more agreement that the Larry Craigs of the world need to be outed. But in 2005 Allen as Strachey is still coming to grips with his feelings on the subject as is his partner Sebastian Spence.Later on murder does occur and Allen zeroes in on three really good suspects, a Republican Congressman, a closeted gay children's show host and none other than Roman Catholic Bishop of the Albany diocese. They all are real good candidates. I do like Allen in this role very much and I wish I had seen this film first as it sets up characters and situations in the two succeeding Strachey films I saw before Third Man Out. Allen is completely in the pulp fiction tradition of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. A young man who loses his job in this film because of what Allen does in his former boss's office in his search for the truth is later hired and becomes his secretary/receptionist. The seedy office Strachey operates from is straight out of Mickey Spillane.However as is the times Strachey is completely devoted to his partner Spence and probably were among the first to be married this year when New York got same gender marriage. The love is strong because he takes a pass on Matthew Rush, gay male porn star who plays one in this film and in which we get to see exactly what Strachey passes on. Married or unmarried fidelity as the case may be is NOT in the Spillane, Chandler or Hammett tradition.Third Man Out is a well made film, shot in Toronto and Vancouver, which don't look a bit like Albany and has a real novel twist at the end.

I'm used to seeing under-achieving gay movies, with laughable acting, unbelievable writing and downright bad directing. But not "Third Man Out"! The plot is excellent. The actors are believable - and really good. The directing is second to none.The only disappointment is that too many gay stereotypes were used - not stereotypes imposed on gays but stereotypes created by gays. That is, evil cigar-smoking Republicans hiding their hypocritical deeds, and evil church officials ruining the lives of others. But, the movie was so good, I can forgive the writer for injecting his own bias. Good job overall!I also get tired of seeing gay lovers always fighting. For once it was refreshing to see two characters really love each other - portraying what we all seek. In addition to that, the two characters really had different lives and different tastes, yet they made the relationship work. It was a good match.Thank you and congratulations to Chad Alan, Sebastian Spence, Ron Oliver, and Mark Saltzman.

The story seemed somewhat hackneyed and predictable, filled with the staples of the genre, but that struck me as more intentional than accidental. The dialogue was awkward at times, but I enjoyed the performances. The production values are good, and the music helps carry the story during its weaker moments. Overall it seemed like a reasonably good pilot for a series. I'd enjoy seeing where they could take this, once the actors and writers had a chance to settle into their roles.The biggest weakness I found was determining how seriously to take it. It seemed to ricochet between overly-earnest and tongue-in-cheek. But overall I enjoyed it and would look forward to seeing more.(Keep your eyes open for interesting gas prices.)

I just saw this video, and was impressed heaps with the story, a good detective vid, and the actors, for the most part. Chad was massive in his starring role. The only negative I saw was the inclusion of Matthew Rush, in what was a cameo, that could have been done better with a real actor in the role. It was a good detective show, though the ending was a bit questionable, in terms of most crime solving shows. It did though show off the skills of a lot of actors. Chad was so satisfying to see in this adult role. He is an actor that we need to see more of. The rest of the cast, (forgive me for my feelings, of Matt Rush, with his scene that showed little acting ability, limited to a gratuitous segment) gave the performances that we could expect from them, due to past performances. I kept thinking, that if we could accept a good mystery/detective show, with a lead that was gay, Chad could carry it off. He has grown up well, and shows his skill. Bottom line, I really enjoyed it. This may not be at CSI level as a crime mystery, but it at a comfortable level. Chad has star quality, from what I saw. The character he established would be a strong role for a series, that goes beyond his orientation. I really would like to see the next case that they need to work. This vid made me a fan of Chad's. Great work guy.Chad needs the chance to give us more.