Out (1982)

A self-styled "urban guerrilla" in Greenwich Village is sent on various assignments across the country by a mysterious "commander."

Director:

Eli Hollander

Writers:

Ronald Sukenick (novel), Ronald Sukenick (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Coyote, O-Lan Jones, Jim Haynie

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Coyote	...	Rex
O-Lan Jones	...	Nixie / Dinah (as O-Lan Shepard)
Jim Haynie	...	Carl / Tommy / Optometrist
Grandfather Semu Haute	...	Empty Fox
Scott Beach	...	Sailor
Danny Glover	...	Jojo / Roland
Max Grodénchik	...	Arnold / Boy (as Michael Grodenchik)
Gail Dartez	...	Trixie / Girl

Storyline

In this largely avant-garde feature film, Rex is the member of a group of underground revolutionaries with an unknown agenda who receive their orders from picking letters out of a bowl of alphabet soup. Rex and his companion Nixie travel across the country and change their names with each stage of the story (the stages are separated by a countdown of numbers from 10 to 0). They begin in New York City and strive to make it to Los Angeles. Their adventures, misadventures and often bizarre happenstances form the bulk of the narrative.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | soup | revolutionary | alphabet soup | f rated | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eli Hollander discovered Danny Glover in a local theater company in the San Francisco area and cast him for a role in this film. The theater company also included Whoopi Goldberg.

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Quotes

Rex: I like you. You're thin and you've got big tits.
Nixie: You wanna feel one?
Rex: [feeling her breast] I like you, you're quiet.

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Crazy Credits

The title appears on the screen in a long division problem. A "0" is the divisor and a "1" is the dividend. The quotient is the title "OUT". After the title appears onscreen, a character throws a stick of dynamite and people are seen running from left to right against a brick wall on which is written a number countdown from 10 to 0.

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Wheel of the Worst #3 (2013)

User Reviews

AKA Deadly Drifter, the title bespeaks the plot...

Peter Coyote presents a decent performance in this far less than credible movie. It has been released as a DVD featuring Danny Glover. Danny has a very small role in this 1982 independent film, so I suspect his inclusion on the jacket is because of his recent popularity - in other words - just to sell the DVD. The best performance comes from O- Lan Shepard (O-Lan Jones), who is not listed on the CD. Her role provides the only semblance of a plot in this othwise pointless film. She is also a viable addition for the reasons Peter points out in in the course of the film. The drifter (Peter Coyote) is seen in each of 10 scenes which count down from 10 to 1. They seem to point out in absurdist terms the pointlessness of life as a man with early stages of ESP drifts from venue to venue encountering slimly related mini-plots. Some of the transitions would have required a Star Trek-like transporter to work. Characters reappear like themes in a cyclic symphony, feeding on the main characters paranoia and lack of direction. If you just love absurdist theatre, you might actually like this one a little. If not, stay home.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deadly Drifter

Filming Locations:

San Gregorio General Store - State Highway 84 & Stage Road, San Gregorio, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eli Hollander, Osprey Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color