This week, our resident movie reviewer, Jeremy Morrison, is back with a fresh review of one of Olive Films most exciting new releases, “The Outsider,” starring Craig Wasson, Sterling Hayden, Patricia Quinn and Ray Mcanally.
First, a quick synopsis: Based on the novel The Heritage of Michael Flaherty by Colin Leinster, The Outsider is a fictional account of Irish-American Michael Flaherty (Craig Wasson, Ghost Story), a disillusioned Vietnam vet who returns home to an apathetic country. Inspired by the Irish Republican Army and the dedication of its members, Michael travels to Ireland to join their cause only to realize that he’s being used as a propaganda tool. Writer & director Tony Luraschi elicits powerful performances from Wasson and a cast that includes Sterling Hayden (1900), Patricia Quinn (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Ray McAnally (My Left Foot) and Gabriel Byrne (The End of Violence).
REVIEW: Every month I’m surprised that Olive Films is able to find a movie that has been shelved for decades for no apparent reason other than the company that has the rights decided not to release it on home video. This month The Outsider, not to be confused with The Outsiders, has been released and holy crap, folks, where has this gem been hidden?!
The Outsider stars Craig Wasson, forever Neil Gordon in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors’ to me, as Michael Flaherty. Flaherty is a Vietnam Vet that finds himself lost after his tour in ‘Nam. Disillusioned by his experience fighting for the good ol’ US of A, Flaherty heads to Northern Ireland to join up with the IRA and a cause he believes is worth fighting for based on tales told to him by his grandfather Seamus Flaherty played by Sterling Hayden.
Once in Northern Ireland, Flaherty quickly realizes that the tales he’s romanticized have been replaced by a gritty reality that rivals that of his Vietnam experiences. The Outsider is based on the novel “The Heritage of Michael Flagerty” by Colin Leinster and has left me wanting to find and read it ASAP.
The Verdict: Tony Luraschi’s only directing credit is not to be missed!
Jeremy Morrison – Staff Writer
Co-creator/host of the Acid Pop Cult Podcast, film reviewer, screenwriter, Jeremy has more than eight years experience in television and film production. His childhood fascination with the naked breasts featured in the “Friday the 13th” franchise prepared him for absolutely nothing in life. J-Mo lives by one motto: #wecantallbezacksnyder
Twitter: @acidpopcult
IG: @almostgothim
