The Outsider

I watch about one movie a week. When somebody asks me what was the best movie I have ever seen, I respond that it is this one. I haven't seen it for decades. The internet is new. I'm looking for a copy.

The movie shows that there are no moral men anywhere. Even the twisted morals of bloodthirsty killers are subject to easy compromise. People in a fanatic rage quickly change their minds and turn on their own kind when it is expedient to do so.

I suppose the outward themes of the movie would be "don't get involved" and "don't rat on your friends." That being said; strangely enough, this film is heart wrenching.

Other reviewers have covered it well, just letting those who were trying to hunt it down on DVD know that it's available now on Netflix Instant. Well worth the time to watch. It portrays both sides in an equally dismal light. As such, one of the more compelling stories with the troubles as its backdrop. Some of the great Irish actors appear in it, such as Niall Tobín, Ray McAnally and Joe Lynch. The Richard Gere-type American lead is all rage and not a lot of nuance, but can be forgiven. The cynical and dehumanizing way the Anerican pawn is manipulated makes for compelling viewing. It also contains some very daring lines about the role of the church, and accurately foretells its fate in the absence of a common enemy. Some earlier reviewers worried about the level of violence. It would be impossible to set a movie in Belfast in 1973 without losing all credibility, a mistake this movie avoids. I didn't find any scene gratuitous, and the integrity of the movie is the better for it. I would agree with others who have described this as a lost gem.

This movie has haunted me since I saw it in the mid-1980s. It is one of the very best movies I have ever seen. I have searched in vain for a videotape (later DVD!) since without avail.

This movie is without peer in depicting the Troubles and in its exploration of loyalty and betrayal. It contains one of Sterling Hayden's last performances and, to say the least, he does not disappoint. Craig Wasson offers the best performance of his career in this film. Patricia Quinn demonstrates her capacity for a dramatic role (in sharp contrast to her performance in "Rocky Horror").

Northern Irish partisans of either stripe should be both warned and reassured: the movie is scrupulously even-handed and neither side is portrayed in a flattering light. Rather, it makes the point that the conflict has degenerated into a corrupt exercise in hatred, blood lust, and revenge.

This movie is stark and raw suspense, disillusionment, and heartbreak. I would happily pay $100 for a used VHS of this film.

Years ago I was hanging out with friends at my house. Out of boredom, we turned on the TV to our one cable channel (I told you it was years ago!) and saw this movie. The story caught our interest. Craig Wasson plays a Vietnam veteran who goes to Northern Ireland and joins the IRA. Seems that his uncle Seamus (Sterling Hayden) told stories of about how he fought heroically for the IRA in the old days. Craig was disillusioned by his experience in Vietnam, and decides to redeem himself by fighting for a cause where the good guys (the IRA) are obviously in the right and the bad guys (the British) are obviously in the wrong. But when he gets to Northern Ireland, he finds more moral murkiness and disillusionment. The decades of warfare have made everybody either crazy, cynical, devoid of hope, or some combination of these. In over his head, he winds up being a pawn in a deadly game between the IRA and British Army. We were all amazed at what a *great* movie it was. Will it ever get released on DVD?

I saw this movie with my parents when I was only 10. It is not an appropriate film to take a child to, as there is a graphic torture scene and a lot of violence. However, I did not have any lasting trauma, and I thought the film was incredible. Very realistic, good acting, cynical story line that looked at multiple sides of the issue of the Troubles. The movie did not paint either the IRA or the British government in a positive light. I thought the violence in the film, though graphic, was necessary to show the brutality of the situation. This was one of the most memorable movies I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find it on DVD. I would love to see it again as an adult.