The Outside Man

Being a native of Los Angeles, it's great a treat to see a overview of the city in 1973 supposedly from the plane to brings Trintignant. There are shots of "The Classic Cat", a club that no longer exists on Sunset Blvd. The chase scene filmed in Venice, CA, are also places that no longer exist as most of the development was still under construction. The music score is by Michel Legrand, whose "Umbrellas in Chernburg" is classic, here a little jarring, maybe intentional. Trintignant plays a hit man from France, who does commit cold blooded murder, so he's a bad guy. Roy Schneider, pre-Jaws, plays an even more gum chewing, sadistic killer after Trintignant.

Ann Magret, at this time, was having a difficult time having just recently lost her father in real life. She plays her part well, but it is unclear why her charactor would go out on a limb for Jean-Louis T., as his charactor treats her with sheer indifference. Angie Dickerson is a 70's babe that gives A.M. competition in the eye candy department.

The shoot out scene at the end of the movieis quite weird, the corpse in the funeral parlor displayed in a sitting position with cigar in hand and Trintigant's cohort being dragged by a hearse through the graveyard.

A 3 out of 5.

French star Jean-Louis Trintignant ("The Great Silence") plays Lucien Bellon, a French hitman who comes to L. A. to assassinate American mobster Victor (Ted de Corsia, "The Killing"). But soon Lucien is dodging attempts on his *own* life, thanks to a *relentless* - if not that competent - American hitman, Lenny (Roy Scheider, "The French Connection"). The only help that Lucien really gets is from Nancy Robson (Ann-Margret, "Carnal Knowledge"), the boss at a topless bar.

Directed with a true European sensibility by Jacques Deray ("He Died with His Eyes Open"), "The Outside Man" a.k.a. "Un Homme Est Mort" is good fun for lovers of crime fiction. Deray makes it a hard-to-resist combination of an offbeat approach, some very amusing doses of comedy, interesting choices (the final gunfight takes place in a funeral home, where Victor has been embalmed in a sitting position), a fairly relaxed tone most of the time, and an unhurried pace. The funky score by Michel Legrand is a delight, as is the use of various L. A. locations.

Trintignant is very good in the lead, playing this "outsider" who's lost amidst Southern California culture of the period. Ann-Margret, looking very sexy in low-cut dresses, is enticing as his reluctant associate. Scheider is a hoot as the determined rival hitman. Georgia Engel ('The Mary Tyler Moore Show') is hilarious as a ditzy housewife. The eclectic supporting cast also includes the wonderful Angie Dickinson ("Big Bad Mama"), Felice Orlandi ("The Driver"), Carlo De Mejo ("The House by the Cemetery"), Michel Constantin ("Le Deuxieme Souffle"), Umberto Orsini ("Goodbye Emmanuelle"), Carmen Argenziano ("The Accused"), John Hillerman ("Blazing Saddles"), Jon Korkes ("Catch-22"), Playboy Playmate Connie Kreski ("The Black Bird"), Ben Piazza ("The Candy Snatchers"), Alex Rocco and Talia Shire from "The Godfather", and a very young Jackie Earle Haley ("Watchmen"), making his film debut.

Overall, this made for very agreeable entertainment; I didn't even really have a problem with the way it ended, although others may certainly feel differently.

Seven out of 10.

After a family tragedy, Jean-Louis Trintignant was invited by Jacques Deray to make this picture in America aiming for clear your mind aftermaths of sad happenings, actually his character wasn't a hitman properly, he just had debts on games at Paris and had to kill a great mobster at Los Angeles in exchange to be free doing this assignment, sadly after fulfilled his task another real hitman tries kill him before leaving Los Angeles.

Then came up the gorgeous Ann Margret a former owner of a burlesque night club to aid him got a passport to get back to Europe, he soon figures out that such returning won't ensure laissez-passer even in Paris, so he decides stay to settle the things chasing the mastermind that ordering his death.

It's criminally underrated by large majority at IMDB's members in so unusual French Polar, it's has enough action, chasing streets and mainly many twists on the clever plot, also to enhance the offering the producers exposing the sinful nightlife of California on those peppery burlesque environment, fantastic casting and mainly by the Ann-Margret's decollete as the whole shaped body, what a vision of heaven!!

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.

The great chase on the VENICE AMUSEMENT PIER allows an old Santa Monica resident like myself to see the old pier before it was demolished. For years it sat, rusted, half standing due to fire and neglect. It was on the Santa Monica and venice border. It was broken into many times, as it was a good location to fish off of, or to go lurking, if one were into checking out what people enjoyed decades earlier. The Beach Boys played in the pink building you see in the film. The piers below, where you see Ann Margaret, you see those piers in THE DOORS video, THE UNKOWN SOLDIER. Also, this pier was used in the last episode of the 1960's TV action series, THE FUGITIVE. Richard Kimble tracked down and caught the 'one armed man' in that abandoned pier.

This dramatic fast pace triller was written by Jean-Claude Carriere and directed by Jacques Derey. It tells the story of Frenchman Lucien Bellon (Jean-Louis Trintignant) a man deeply in debt with the French mob. To settle accounts he agrees to travel to America with the sole task of assassinating a high powered Mob Boss. The assignment goes according to plan with one snag, upon completing his task he discovers he has been targeted by Lenny (Roy Scheider) an American hit man. There are plenty of speedy shootings and get-aways with interesting and secretive meetings which keeps the audience guessing as to who the Bad guys are. Eye candy is provided by beautiful and seductive Ann-Margret and sultry Angie Dickinson. The movie is interesting in that perennial Good guy Roy Scheider plays the heavy and Felice Orlandi nearly always a heavy, plays Anderson a cop. Good entertainment. ****