Third Man Out

Synopsis:

Gay detective Donald Strachey is commissioned to protect gay activist John Rutka, who is known for “outing” prominent citizens. Strachey abandons bodyguard duty when he feels that Rutka is staging the threats against himself. When Rutka turns up dead, Strachey is faced with an extensive list of enemies all with enough motive to kill.

Quick Thoughts:

“Third Man Out” is one of four film adaptations of Richard Stevenson’s books featuring gay detective, Donald Strachey. Interestingly, although this queer detective film is the first film adaptation – it’s not the first of Stevenson’s novels about Strachey. But I feel it was a wise choice, despite the chronological issues because the story is quite captivating with a shocking twist at the end! While the script and acting are a tad melodramatic (it is a TV , they actually work for the film noire detective genre. “Third Man Out” is a great example of film noire that harkens back to classic films and cinematographic styles – but with a queer twist. Equally interesting is how the story posits some moral issues within the gay & queer community with regards to public outing, hypocrites, and even abuse. If you want something different that is also rather enjoyable, check out this queer mystery film!