Man Outside (1986)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Mark Stouffer

Writer:

Mark Stouffer (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Hermit | Arkansas | Independent Film

Cast

Robert Logan	...	Recluse lawyer
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Grace Freemont
Bradford Dillman	...	Frank Simmons
Levon Helm	...	Sheriff Leland Laughlin
Andrew Barach	...	Leo Greenfield
Alex Liggett	...	Toby Riggs
Rick Danko	...	Father of kidnapped boy
Patricia Relph	...	Velma Riggs
Mary Ingalls	...	Momma
Garth Hudson	...	A recluse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Gross	...	Nasty Detective
Becky Hernreich	...	Sexy Woman
Kelly Householder	...	Woman in flames
Robert Illjes	...	Vigilante #2
Richard Manuel	...	Vigilante #1
Paschal Porta	...	Newsman on TV
Sloan Wilson	...	Coed #2

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Stouffer Enterprises

Trivia:

With the exception of Robbie Robertson, every member of ‘The Band’ has a role in this movie. Levon Helm plays the sheriff, Garth Hudson plays the recluse, Richard 'Manuel' plays a vigilante, and Rick Danko plays the father of a kidnapped boy.

"I hope you like music!"

I was living in northwest Arkansas at the time this was filmed there, working for a radio station called "Kisser 93," and you can hear one of our DJs briefly in the first couple of minutes of the film. A couple of other area TV/radio guys (Pat Porta & Tom Earnhart) give a good account of themselves in small roles.

I'm glad this is out on DVD. While I very much enjoyed looking back on that place in that time, this isn't exactly a classic. I found Bradford Dillman's work quite good, other than his final scene; he had made a career as a TV guest star playing the handsome but often undependable middle-class guy, and in this film with his bottle-cap glasses he totally got lost in the character. Kathleen Quinlan is always good too.

Other than those performances, however, the quality is very uneven. One of the supporting characters is a (to put it nicely) husky young nerdy college student played by Andrew Barach. It's easy to see why his career in movies was brief; his comedy relief isn't much, although he does have one GREAT scene toward the end that involves the line I chose for the title of this review.

I shouldn't single out Mr. Barach; there were plenty of amateurish performances to go around, and lead actor Robert Logan frequently shows all the expression of a block of wood, while former Band member and ex-Coal Miner's Daughter's dad Levon Helm shows that only Michael Apted could direct him into looking comfortable on camera. The script itself, about a man escaping his past while living alone (other than his dog) in the wild, isn't too badly written, but has a few "huh?" moments as well.

Still, for the level of production this was, the end product is watchable and entertaining enough for a rental. You can get it through Netflix; I did.