The gay private eye thriller Third Man Out is, hopefully, the first of a new film genre that I'll dub "Queer-Noir". Third Man's plot may be a bit serpentine and it's dialogue stretched at the corners to cover maximum political ground, but Chad Allen's nuanced and sexily hard-boiled performance easily compensates for these shortcomings. As Private Eye Donald Strachey, Allen comes off as Spenser crossed with Columbo with a dash of Brian Kinney tossed into this enticing mix.

Though Ron Oliver's direction isn't flashy, it's very appropriate for a noir flick set in Albany. Like Richard Stevenson's books--on the pages of which Donald Strachey was conceived--this film is about character and concept and the tension between these two dramatic elements. Stevenson was one of the first writers to infuse the pragmatic, ultra-masculine private eye genre with an unabashedly gay aesthetic. A perfect synthesis of these two influences, Third Man Out gives us a detective who shares waltzes and moonlight martinis with his hubby, drives a banged up Toyota Tercel and can lay bad guys flat with an unsparing right hook.

Third Man's production values are outstanding for a cable film. Keeping Richard Stevenson's Albany setting was a smart move by Here! network, as so many well intentioned films go astray when they aim for glitzy settings and end up with cheap Canadian photocopies.

The only flaws worth citing were: a couple of actor Sebastian Spence's scenes (during which he portrays Donald Strachey's husband as a cross between C3PO and Uncle Arthur from Bewitched) and a heavy-handed score (with good feature songs that are sandbagged by some very obtrusive "tension and suspense" instrumentals).

What most delighted me about Third Man was the thrill of watching a genuine and polished noir flick which was, in every respect, thoroughly but naturally queer. While Third Man isn't Brokeback Mountain, it is a milestone in its own right. It's a well executed, enjoyable film about a hard-boiled detective who wears bad ties and breaks out in a blushing grin when his boyfriend kisses him on the cheek.

I watched this film simply because First Wave's impossibly handsome Sebastian Spence was in it. I wanted to see what other roles he might play. His character here is completely different from Cade Foster, and completely charming. The plot has as many twists as an Agatha mystery novel, constantly keeping you guessing, and pulling the rug out from under you when you think you have finally figured it all out. However, it is also a thriller. The protagonist, Chad Allen as private eye Donald Strachey is neither tough nor particularly intelligent, though his body ripples. I was on the edge of my seat worrying about what would happen to him next.

It is a movie about gay people, exploring all kinds of issues from blackmail, to outing, to spying, to HIV, to gays in the military, to sexual abuse. The main pair of characters have a loving, domestic monogamous relationship. It is nice to see a gay couple portrayed realistically. Sex is not the #1 priority for most gays. They are both clean cut, pleasant and sympathetic. At times Spence reminded me of Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. The lead gay couple don't take drugs, go to orgies or commit suicide as seems mandatory in so many other movies about gays.

There is a touch of frontal male nudity, and a short tasteful scene of a male-male couple in bed caressing gently. It is not a sleasy film despite some of the subject matter. There are also photos of the bad guys engaged in S&M.

This is a film unlike any other. I never could guess where it was going next. It is delightfully entertaining, every last minute of it.