The kind folks at Cinefamily have been doing a great thing called Los Angeles Plays Itself, a series of films that show the true L.A. the good, the bad, and the in-between. Los Angeles is a real place, as much as it is a myth. A hologram. There have been films that walk through the hologram, and dismantle the myth. This weekend one of those films will be screening in 35mm. Jacques Deray noir inspired classic, The Outside Man will be showing on both this tonight of 9/12 and again Saturday 9/13.
We know your time is precious, so here is why this is worth it. Los Angeles has long been the playscape for gritty crime stories. Director Jacque Deray's technique and scope of storytelling were heavily influenced by cinema legend (and fellow Frenchman Jean-Pierre Melville , who laid the blueprint for the gritty noir driven films of (for instance) Michael Mann (Thief, Heat, Collateral). And Deray pushes the same driving, determined, survivalist forces into this piece of cinema that we have grown to love and actively seek out (especially in this continued age of antiheroes).
The brilliant work of cinema stars Jean-Louis Trintignant (pronouced Tra-Ten-Ya, now say it fast and you got it!) as a hitman from Paris lurking the hot, smoggy streets of Los Angeles to eliminate a local crime boss, however his trip is foiled when he discovers his employers have sent another killer to do the same to him (played by the always dependable Roy Scheider). What adds to this piece is the lack of gloss, sheen, and plastic living that typically wraps itself around our fair city of Los Angeles when seen in the movies. This element becomes more razor sharp as our main character loses his passport, and finds himself in the middle of the unforgiving rat race that can be Los Angeles, just another anonymous face amongst many anonymous faces looking for a savior, looking for a break... Like many of the great pieces from Michael Mann's early career, The Outside Man becomes a twisting tale of harsh survival, cold loneliness, and hot brutality. Throw in a dash of the always delicious Ann-Margaret and you have something truly remarkable. Are you ready?
Click the highlighted text below to make your visit to this hard boiled thriller happen:
