Review of 4th Man Out (2015) by Claire T — 10 May 2016

I found this movie completely by chance and decided to give it a few minutes to see if it grabbed me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would describe it as a movie-lover's movie -- meant for an audience who likes to veer from the well trod movie making paths. The watchword in its development seems to have been "understated". There is a cliche ending, but everything else about this movie is anti-hollywood in the best possible way. In my opinion, 4th Man Out succeeds as an authentic telling of a timely drama with a good balance of comedy and morality.

Every person and location seem natural and authentic, and the frequent use of point-of-view cinematography brings a semi-documentarian feel to the story. No dialogue is out of place, as the story is about regular guys living in dingy housing, working, dressing, talking, and behaving like young many men their age actually do. The emotion does not come from corny, overdone dialogue and swelling musical scores, but from simple realistic discussions, and genuine chemistry between the characters. You might miss some creative and realistic moments of humor as you fade in and out of scenes, some of the best lines come out of no where and with no fanfare.

I general I would describe this as a realistic story, scripted in the appropriate vernacular, featuring authentic performances, and imperceptible direction. There are moments of true heart that would have been lost in a larger production. There are many genuine moral lessons to this story, some nuanced to a fine aroma that lingers on the senses. Perhaps the most lingering for me was this: not all important and memorable stories occur in big cities, take place during war-torn eras, or involve world-ending repercussions. Some stories are simple events in the lives of regular people.