Third Man Out: A Donald Strachey Mystery

Third Man Out (2006) Here! Films John Rutka (Jack Wetherall) was the most hated man in New York State. He knew what people thought of him. That he was a liar and needed to die. His mission is to "OUT" the closeted bigots who he feels are working against gay rights. Rutka has spent a lifetime and a small fortune collecting "proof". These files were then used to inflict revenge. After surviving being shot in his own home, he turns to Albany's only gay detective, Don Strachey (pronounced STRAY- che) (Chad Allen). Only this detective wants nothing to do with him either! Here! Television network approached award wining director Ron Oliver with an interesting proposition. Do a series of films based on the popular crime novels by author Richard Stevenson. They could not have achieved a better outcome. In over 100 years of film mysteries, there has never been a gay detective. Third man Out accomplishes much more than a sexual preference change of cast. It stands on its own with the best "whodunit" ever to come out of Hollywood's heyday. While it acknowledges the Film Noir genre, this story is as fresh as the morning's cable headlines or evening blog. The movie is seasoned throughout with elements of Dashiell Hammett and Erle Stanley Gardner. But don't expect the typical climax with a room full of suspects or even a courtroom confession. This movie stands up to multiple viewing and never lets you down. It pays homage to the martini drinking couple "Nick and Nora Charles". In this film, "Donald and Tim", are a modern couple that today's gay audience can relate to. A couple who have to face the same everyday challenges we all do. Private investigator Strachey has had to make a living mostly by following cheating husbands and taking pictures. In his line of work, he gets hit in the face allot. His life partner, Tim Callahan (Sebastian Spence) serves as a chief aide to Senator Dianne Glassman (P. Lynn Johnson). Their home is not going to fix itself so Don is tempted by the money John Rutka has offered. Tim wants no part of it. He points out that Rutka and his files have destroyed people's lives. There are such things as absolute "Rights" and "Wrongs" and he doesn't want Don involved with a "wrong" in any way. Police detective "Bub" Bailey (Daryl Shuttleworth) has known Rutka since they were kids. He wants Strachey to talk his client into leaving town. He even offers to "let certain things slide..." Our hero's gut is telling him that he is being used. Then Rutka goes too far by threatening Don with knowledge of the detectives past. That does it and Strachey is out of there! In the morning, Don gets a call from Rutka's younger lover Eddie (Woody Jeffreys) confirming the morning news: John Rutka's burned corpse was found overnight. The death puts a new spin on the action. Donald knows the police will search the home for the files. Anyone who gets them has a ready made blackmailing business. Wither out of sympathy or guilt, Strachey agrees to hide the files. They hold to the key to the murder. However this puts his beloved Timmy in mortal danger. Now even Timmy wants Don to find the killer for their own safety. Suspects are coming out of the woodwork. Everyone wants to get their hands on those files! Just a few include: a powerful Congressman into S&M on the sly, (David Palffy), a puppeteer on children's television who is hiding much more than his hands (Sean Carey), and a slimy used car dealer who pretends being an upstanding church member (Scott Swanson). Maybe the crooked motel clerk (Richard Cox) had his rubber-gloves in this. How about someone in the police department? Could they have a motive? Then there's the Porn Star (Mathew Rush) who has found a way to supplement his "acting" income. He runs a bank of telephone sex workers, each one pretending to be the star himself. Yet they all seem angry at being cheated out of the grand prize -- the personal gratification from killing John Rutka themselves. Everywhere Don looks he finds more people who can't be trusted. Even the files hamper him by only listing people's initials. It's going to take all of his street smarts to clear up this one before it finishes not only him by also his happy home. Chad Allen really gets to expand his considerable acting "chops" in this film. After viewing his gritty portrayal, you can't imagine anyone else in the part. His personal journey from TV teen idol to a working "out" gay actor is inspiring. One can see the resemblance to a young James Cagney. No clues are hidden in this contest of wills. Everything is all out in the open for us to see. Like in the old "Thin Man" movies, you'll find all of the typical elements: from a blood soaked suspect to a smoky night club complete with a jazz singer and people dressed in their evening attire. Things might look familiar but nothing is as it seems. Just as we are about to savor the ending, it takes off again in a completely different direction! Soon you'll want your own martini, which we are informed should be shaken to the beat of a waltz! Third Man Out is just the first. There are three more movies in this series, each as good as or better than the one before. What a gift it would be to have a boxed set! How about it Amazon?

If you're craving a soapy queer fix now that Queer as Folk is no longer lathering it up, then the Queer-Noir private eye thriller Third Man Out is sure to soothe your ache. The plot may be a bit serpentine and the dialogue stretched at the corners to cover maximum political ground, but Chad Allen's nuanced and sexily hard-boiled performance easily compensates for these shortcomings. As Private Eye Donald Strachey, Allen comes off as Spenser crossed with Columbo with a dash of Brian Kinney tossed into this enticing mix.Though Ron Oliver's direction isn't flashy, it's very appropriate for a noir flick set in Albany. Like Richard Stevenson's books--on the pages of which Donald Strachey was conceived--this film is about character and concept and the tension between these two dramatic elements. Stevenson was one of the first writers to infuse the pragmatic, ultra-masculine private eye genre with an unabashedly gay aesthetic. A perfect synthesis of these two influences, Third Man Out gives us a detective who shares waltzes and moonlight martinis with his hubby, drives a banged up Toyota Tercel and can lay bad guys flat with an unsparing right hook.Third Man's production values are outstanding for a cable film. Keeping Richard Stevenson's Albany setting was a smart move by Here! network, as so many well intentioned films go astray when they aim for glitzy settings and end up with cheap Canadian photocopies.The only flaws worth citing were: a couple of actor Sebastian Spence's scenes (during which he portrays Donald Strachey's husband as a cross between C3PO and Uncle Arthur from Bewitched) and a heavy-handed score (with good feature songs that are sandbagged by some very obtrusive "tension and suspense" instrumentals).What most delighted me about Third Man was the thrill of watching a genuine and polished noir flick which was, in every respect, thoroughly but naturally queer. While Third Man isn't Brokeback Mountain, it is a milestone in its own right. It's a well executed, enjoyable film about a hard-boiled detective who wears bad ties and breaks out in a blushing grin when his boyfriend kisses him on the cheek.

It is such a great film, I love the mystery of the crime, the cute couple Donald and Timothy. It's the perfect LGBT film. You need to buy and watch it.

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.

Dieser Film gehört zu einer Reihe von bisher 4 Filmen über den schwulen Detektiv Donald Stratchey. Ich habe den Film vor allem wegen Chad Allen gekauft und war dann so begeistert, dass ich gleich die anderen drei bestellt habe.Chad Allen und Sebastian Spence spielen fantastisch zusammen. Die Filme machen immer wieder liebevolle Anspielungen auf die alten Bogart-Filme.Natürlich ist Homosexualität ein Thema in allen Filmen, aber nie aufdringlich und es wird viel mit Klischees gespielt. Dazu kommt ein spannender Kriminalfall mit überraschenden Wendungen und einem unerwarteten Ende.

Très bon moment avec ce film - premier volet des fameuses enquêtes de Donald Stratchey - Bon scénario, bonne mise en scéne, acteurs attachants, suspens, humour.... Génial quoi, pour un film créé pour une chaîne câblé américaine.

Well done, good pacing and solid performances!