Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

hddu10 ...by all the positive reviews here, but absolutely NOT by the caliber of this film. How this gay detective "made for TV" film ever came into existence is the REAL mystery here. Chad Allen as the lead is probably the best actor in this piece, which frankly says a lot. But unless you are a die-hard fan, he's not really strong enough to carry-off the lead in any film. The "made for TV" feel (i.e. sappy/up-beat background music, boxy cinematography and overall pace) seems odd and out of place with full-frontal nudity (think "Murder She Wrote" meets gay porn). The rest of the acting range goes from TV-bad to porn-bad...which is VERY bad. Overall, the high production values (once again, think "Murder She Wrote") and overall polish make it palatable for someone who is into gay-themed movies and wants to kill some time with a little brain-candy.

traceytoney The gay private eye thriller Third Man Out is, hopefully, the first of a new film genre that I'll dub "Queer-Noir". Third Man's plot may be a bit serpentine and it's 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.

Mister Spike 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.)

TpaBart 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.