'Man Outside' (aka 'Hidden Fear') is quite the odd duck, mixing drama with a bit of romance before ultimately venturing into thriller territory. It tells the story of a man (who used to be a lawyer) living like a hermit in the woods (following the unexpected death of his wife).
I was living in northwest Arkansas at the time this was filmed there, working for a radio station called "Kisser 93," and you can hear one of our DJs briefly in the first couple of minutes of the film. A couple of other area TV/radio guys (Pat Porta & Tom Earnhart) give a good account of themselves in small roles.
This film opens up with a sports car going at high speeds through narrow roads and almost running into cars and then this car turns off on a lonely road in Arkansas. The car then proceeds to run through streams in the woods and making its on path through woods and bushes and then the driver leaves the car and you see this same car sitting in the same position through all seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.
A pretty standard thriller, what sets Man Outside apart is the appearance of every member of The Band, except Robbie Robertson. I'm not sure how this came about, but they mostly all give fine performances (Rick Danko going perhaps a little to far over the top as the father of a kidnapped boy).
This is a terrible, pointless movie, that no doubt will mostly be checked out by fans of "The Band" the great rock group. It looks to me like Levon Helm, cast in a stereotypical role of a redneck sheriff, got his buddies(sans Robbie Robertson, who had long since stopped performing with the combo) involved.
This film was thoughtful, uplifting, suspenseful, heartfelt, a good drama, a good thriller and a good love story. But what really struck me was how the message is so on target with the things going on in the news today!
Award winning documentarian Mark Stouffer's feature debut is a beautifully photographed, solidly told tale of a broken man who escapes into the woods to heal, only to be forced out of his solace by a sheriff who believes he is responsible for a missing child. Stouffer's portrayal of life in the wilderness and his obvious fondness and knowledge of it, is inspiring.
