The Outside Man [Un Homme Est Mort] **** (1972, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ann-Margret, Roy Scheider, Angie Dickinson, Michel Constantin) – Classic Movie Review 8436

Writer-director Jacques Deray’s 1973 The Outside Man [Un Homme Est Mort] is a compelling and robust French gangland action crime thriller, set and filmed on location in Los Angeles, California, but also shot in the studio at Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. So, it has the best of both worlds then.

Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as French assassin Lucien Bellon, who arrives in LA on orders from French gangsters to kill rival mobster Victor (Ted de Corsia). However, then Bellon finds another hitman Lenny (Roy Scheider) is after him and he tries to flee back to Paris, but Bellon’s passport and luggage have been stolen.

The Outside Man [Un Homme Est Mort] is well set up, well plotted and well done, unusual and intriguing, with an extremely useful cast (Ann-Margret, Angie Dickinson, Michel Constantin) on good form,  and the arresting kind of off-kilter, skewered, tilted view of LA that you get from a French perspective.

It runs 104 minutes but an X rated edition used for European release contains an additional 10 minutes.

Also in the cast are Georgia Engel, John Hillerman, Talia Shire, Alex Rocco, Felice Orlandi, Carlo De Mejo, Umberto Orsini, Carmen Argenziano, Rico Cattani, Edward Greenberg, Philippa Harris, Jon Korkes, Connie Kreski and Jackie Earle Haley.

The Outside Man [Un Homme Est Mort] is directed by Jacques Deray, runs 104 minutes, is made by Cité Films, General Production Company, Mondial Televisione Film and Les Productions Artistes Associés, is released by United Artists (1973) (US) (dubbed), is written by Jean-Claude Carrière (story and screenplay), Jacques Deray (story and screenplay) and Ian McLellan Hunter (screenplay), is shot in Technicolor by Terry K Meade and Silvano Ippoliti, is produced by Jacques Bar and is scored by Michel Legrand.

It is the film debut of Jackie Earle Haley and the final film of Ted de Corsia.

Two takes were filmed and Trintignant slapped Haley hard in the face for real both times.

Scheider and Trintignant also appeared in The Assassination (1972).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8436

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