The Outsider

Not sure where the 8,9,and 10 star reviews came from. Trace Adkins seemed to be trying to channel Sam Elliot. The guy playing the villain pretty much chewed the scenery. The hero wasn't developed at all. The action was too little and was either filmed so close or so dark you couldn't see what was happening. Danny Trejo usually brings some life to the screen, he was nice and menacing, but dialogue sounded like he was reading it off cue cards. Flanery was probably the best part of the movie, but his character wasn't really developed either. There were some really strange decisions about what to film. Why closeups of people chewing food?

The streaming services and Wal-Mart's movie section have brought back the "B" Western. You know, one that's not going to win any Oscars, but is still going to be entertaining. This one fills the bill quite nicely. Trace Adkins has been in several of these, but it was Flanery that in my opinion held the movie together once he decides to team up with the Chinese railroad worker, with acting that's actually good enough for a big budget Western, not that they make those anymore.

In recent years there have been in the direct to DVD world a number of westerns made on very low budgets. This is one of them, and I think that despite it having a number of flaws, it is a touch above most other modern low budget westerns. Now, it IS very cheaply made, but I could see that the filmmakers tried very hard to hide this fact, such as with the use of limited lighting in a number of sequences. And they did spend some money when it counted, such as with the use of a rain machine in a few sequences, which does add some atmosphere. The filmmakers were also able to with the limited funds generate a few decent scenes of action and/or suspense.

However, these points of merit only take the movie so far. While the movie is atmospheric, it is undeniably VERY slow to unfold, made worse that the core of the story is simply a rehash of revenge westerns from the past. A quicker pace would have helped things considerably. Also, the movie is hurt by the fact that the central protagonist (played by Jon Foo) doesn't give a particularly good or engaging performance. There are also a few badly directed sequences that will momentarily puzzle viewers as to what exactly is happening in front of them, or what just happened moments before.

Despite these and other flaws, I admit that I wasn't at any time BORED by the movie, and while I may not be giving the overall results a passing grade, I do think that under the low budget circumstances, the filmmakers deserve an "A" for effort.

One last note, this one to fans of Danny Trejo: He only shows up for a couple of minutes.

It's too bad really. Trace Atkins is so much better than this dark, dank poorly written, pathetically acted 'old west' saga. What plot there is came from a half dozen movies past. Everything from KungFu to Bonanza. (You'll recognize them.) Add this weakness to fact the entire presentation takes place at night and the result is a half baked struggling concoction that's never going to rise past sad. The three stars I gave it are: one for Trace, one for Danny and one for the horses! Save the popcorn and two hours of your life. Miss this one.

There's no bank heist or cowboys Vs indians in this movie, just a very tragic story about a chinese man (yes, a chinese man) seeking revenge. This is why most people hate The Outsider: because it offers nothing they were expecting after they read "western".

If you're just looking for a nice film, you'll find an interesting plot that switches gears about halfway through, so much that even the protagonist is not the same anymore. Looking at the cast Foo, Adkins and Flanery deliver good performances, while Trejo is in there for 5 minutes and quickly forgotten.

It takes an open mind to appreciate everything: if you're not too hardcore about westerns, you're gonna like this movie.