Third Man Out

Third Man Out
Directed by	Ron Oliver
Written by	Mark Saltzman Richard Stevenson
Starring	Chad Allen Sebastian Spence Jack Wetherall Woody Jeffreys Sean Young
Country	Canada United States
Language	English
Release date	2005 (2005)
Running time	98 minutes

Third Man Out is a 2005 gay-themed mystery film.^[1] It is the first film adaptation of a Richard Stevenson novel^[2] featuring fictional detective Donald Strachey.^[3]

Plot

At the home of John Rutka and Eddie Santin, Rutka is apparently shot by an unknown assailant. Later, private eye Donald Strachey arrives at the Albany Medical Center to meet with a client. While there, he sees his partner, Tim Callahan, who is escorting his boss, a prominent New York state senator who is there for a photo op with the comatose Catholic Bishop McFee whose diocese consists of, among others, St. Michael's Catholic Church. Morgan excuses himself, heading out the back way, but the authorities are there waiting for him. Strachey, who had been holding onto the car flap, identifies it as part of the car McFee drove on Wednesdays, and now driven by Morgan. Morgan is arrested, not only for his part in covering up McFee's history of sex crimes, but also for the apparent murder of John Rutka. Scandal hits Morgan, McFee and the entire parish.

This doesn't stop them from toasting their new perspective—and their now finished fireplace—by performing the one act of absolute good they are still sure of—the destruction of Rutka's file on Strachey.

Cast

Continuity

This film reveals that before becoming a private investigator, Donald was in the armed services, but was forced out because of the ban on gay servicemembers. This subplot is explored further and in much more depth in the sequel, Shock to the System.

Production notes

Although this was the first film adaptation of one of Richard Stevenson's books about the gay private eye, Donald Strachey, it was not the first of his novels to be published. It appears then that the order of the films differs from that of the books, as characters such as Detective Bub Bailey and Kenny Kwon are introduced to Strachey in this film, and he sees them again in On the Other Hand, Death and Ice Blues, even though the novels the latter two are adapted from took place chronologically before the book version of Third Man Out.

In addition, some minor details are changed from the books. Since the internet was not widely known the year Third Man Out (the novel) was published, Queerscreed, which is the name of John Rutka's publication from which he outs prominent closeted homophobes, is something he passes out solely in print in the book version, while in the film it's renamed The Rutka Report and is also available on the web.

References

External links

• Third Man Out at the Internet Movie Database
• Third Man Out at AllMovie