Customer Reviews

Shock to the System: A Donald Strachey Mystery

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a well-plotted, superbly cast follow up to the first Donald Strachey film, "Third Man Out." I personally found the subject matter---sexual "healing" for gays---more engrossing than the "outing" theme of the first film. Once again, Chad Allen is fascinating as the macho gay detective. And his back story---he's an ex-soldier who was drummed out of the service for being gay---more ably serves the screenplay this time around. The regulars all seem more comfortable in their roles, and it's nice to see Nelson Wong returning as Donald's secretary. Morgan Fairchild appears in a rather thankless cameo, and, although Sebastian Spence is a little less ditsy as Donald's lawyer boyfriend (Nora to Allen's Nick), Timmy, Allen's banter with Daryl Shuttleworth, as Detective Bub Bailey, and the other guys at the precinct is more fun. It's a first-class production, with director Ron Oliver making all the right moves, and Allen's acting is nothing short of brilliant: he does Emmy-caliber work (as he did Oscar-calibre work in "End of the Spear") in a surprisingly literate script.

Richard Stevenson's gay mystery novels based on his creation of Donald Strachey, Private Investigator have found the perfect crew to transform these very interesting and entertaining stories to film. SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM is the second in the series and as adapted for the screen by Ron McGee, directed with panache by Ron Oliver, and starring the very fine actor Chad Allen as the sleuth with couth and style and charisma the results are a polished little gem of a film. But aside from the fact that the film is so well put together, it presents gay people in roles that are so far away from the usual stereotypical types that their sexual proclivity is in many ways simply incidental: you have to look long and hard to find a solid healthy gay relationship as well portrayed as that between Strachey and his life partner Tim (the very fine Sebastian Spence).

The story this time around involves Strachey's being asked to help one Paul Hale (Jared Keeso), the supposed poster boy for the Phoenix Foundation, a 'turn gay people straight' institute run by Dr. Trevor Cornell (Michael Woods) and his wife Lynn (Anne Marie Loder). Paul is soon found dead and the implications are suicide. But Strachey suspects foul play (we later discover Hale was his first love in the Army!) and aided by Hale's mother Phyllis (Morgan Fairchild looking terrific and acting well) who encouraged her son's joining the Phoenix Foundation, he begins his own style of investigation.

Strachey wisely 'becomes a patient' with Dr. Cornell and in group therapy makes discoveries and friends with those who eventually help to solve the case: a strong group of actors including Rikki Gagne, Stephen Huszar, Ryan Kennedy, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Shawn Roberts, Dany Papineau, and Gerry Morton. The clues are laid out, the deaths follow and the truths finally surface. And all the while Strachey is supported by Tim, by a very fine comic actor Nelson Wong as his 'office manager', and by his 'boss' Detective Bailey (Daryl Shuttleworth).

The dialogue is crisp, relevant, intense when it needs to be and funny when it relaxes, the cinematography takes a beautiful bow to the old Hollywood film noir techniques, and the cast is excellent, filled with not only a lot of eye candy but also with some very well realized characterizations. In the end the film belongs to the very hunky and versatile Chad Allen, only making wait for the next installment in this very successful series! Highly recommended for all audiences. Grady Harp, February 07

I find the Donald Strachey series immensely enjoyable and fun to watch. The series has dealt with two prevalent issues in the gay community at the moment...hypocrisy among the religious right with Third Man Out and gay regenerative therapy with Shock to the System. It's nice to watch films that address these topics but doesn't put them into the context of preaching.

The story addresses a young man who is in need of Strachey's help in finding someone (a nice little twist @ the end as to exactly whom that is). As usual, he winds up dead before Strachey knows who it is and must go undercover in a clinic that specializes in "curing" homosexuals. Morgan Fairchild makes a brief but touching turn as the dead man's mother...I wish she had been given more screen time. She managed to make a mother who pushes her son into regenerative therapy because of his "issues" seem loving and delusional at the same time.

I also like the noir touches (some find it amateurish because the colors are bleached out but it's obviously a predictable component to the film, i.e., it's supposed to look like that).

Chad Allen is a fantastic actor and he imbues the Strachey character with darkness, a sense of humor and a humility and humanness that is so often missing in trite, gay characters. Sebastian Spence as his husband Timmy Callahan is also great and I love the chemistry between Chad and Sebastian as they bring this relationship to life. This is one of the most honest and moving gay relationships ever depicted and it comes without all the clichés. These two men LOVE each other greatly and it shows and it's a NORMAL relationship. It's one of the best facets of these films.

And so what that the mysteries are predictable! Murder She Wrote, Matlock, Columbo, Perry Mason, etc. were all predictable "mysteries" that were solved in the first 3 minutes; however, it never made them any less enjoyable. It's fun to watch the chase; that's the whole point.

I will continue to watch for more of these movies and I am delighted that there are seven in the works. These are popcorn, fun movies with great casts, engaging stories and a wonderful depiction of gay love and relationships.

When I watched "Shock to the System" on HERE! I did it based on a friend's recommendation. I really didn't know what to expect. What I saw was a kick-[..] detective story with superb production values. Then, in checking out Chad Allen, I found out there was another Strachy movie "Third Man Out". You'll be smart to order them together. You won't be disappointed. This should be a weekly hour series on cable TV!

Shock to the System is the second in a series of adaptations of Richard Stevenson's novels depicting gay private investigator Donald Strachy. When not solving problems in the Albany, NY, area, Strachy goes home to his partner, Timothy Callahan, a staff assistant to a state senator and former seminary student.

The film starts similarly to the novel. Paul Hale hires Strachy (Chad Allen) to find an unidentified person but is shortly found dead of a drug and alcohol overdose. Hale had recently made a scene at a gay-conversion therapy session, angering the leader, Dr. Trevor Cornell (Michael Woods), and had left the group. There are indications that Hale was about to make damaging public revelations about the gay-conversion organization.

Identifying some with Hale, Strachy infiltrates the group and pokes around. The issues raised at the group raise up old memories for Strachy, which lead to an emotional scene between Strachy and Callahan (Sebastian Spence), giving more depth to Strachy and to his partnership. Kenny Kwon (Nelson Wong), a desk clerk in the first film, Third Man Out, finds a new role in this one, lightening the mood. The film goes on to its conclusion.

The movie succeeds in providing character and noir atmosphere. We see the principals in more depth than in the novels. There is no issue of being too campy. The lighting, costumes, and sets are great.

Getting all that to work in 91 minutes did cause big chunks of the novel to drop out of the script. There is no more group prank against the group leader and far fewer individual interviews. The solution of the mystery is very compressed. It's a bit of a shame since I thought the underlying novel was the best at showcasing Strachy's sleuthing skills of the whole series. Given future films, there may well be future payoff for building characters now.

The skin shots are somewhat scaled back from the first film but still plentiful. There is a locker room scene, with one important character making difficulties for Strachy, two sports scenes, and there are a few discrete scenes between Strachy and Callahan.

For me the big payoff is that a successful gay detective novel series has found a sympathetic producer, director, and cast willing to make a reasonably adapted series of high quality at an acceptable cost. I thank the producers and the rest for taking the chance and congratulate them for succeeding.

While other gay detective novel series may lack the easy comfort of Stevenson's pairing of Strachy and Callahan. (The director compares them to Nick and Nora Charles of the Thin Man series. The Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett and David Burke/ Edward Hardwicke makes an interesting comparison too.), I can envision a successful run of similarly adapted and budgeted films for Joseph Hanson's Dave Brandstetter, Dorien Grey's Dick Hardesty, Michael Nava's Henry Rios, John Morgan Wilson's Benjamin Justice (maybe Chad Allen again), or Josh Lanyon's Adrien English. How about it?

For anyone who has wondered if the movies would change from showing us the stereotypical gay man, here is a set of films that do. A gay detective embarks on a mission to discover the devious deeds that lead to another mans death. Yet, this film shows much more than just an interesting plot. This is the second film in the Donald St. series and gives the audience a more indepth picture to who the hero really is as well as to how he is coming to understand what life is about. Through this film the protagonist, Det. Don, battles many fears and insecurities all people suffer from, not just a homosexual adience. He confronts a past that still haunts him and stands in the way of his current relationship as well as deals with the oppressive need to fit. Something the murder victim was struggling with.
So, if you enjoy a good murder mystery that also allows you to see how human a person can truly be, I highly recomend this film. You will enjoy the plot as well as charater development and be able to identify with many of the feelings and emotions portrayed within this film. Of course this is only my opinion, but I can safely say you will not be disapointed with the purchase of this video.

"Trevor Cornell is one of the most successful reparative therapy providers in New York," says Timmy Callahan. "I wonder what his idea of 'successful' is," says Donald Strachey, a private eye. "Dressing badly," says Callahan, "decorating your home with duck decoys, breaking out in a rash whenever Barbra Streisand sings."

To explain: Reparative therapy means conversion from being gay or lesbian into happy, contented heteroes. Timmy Callahan (Sebastian Spence) is a political type in Albany, New York. Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) is not only a capable and tough private eye in Albany, he and Timmy are married. "At least," as Strachey says, "as close as two men can get to it...more important, I'm in love with him." Those who find a gay agenda under every leaf, revolver and bloody baseball bat may not like this movie. On the other hand, those with a fondness for well-constructed mysteries that feature politics, victimization, murder, martinis and phenalzine should enjoy the story, the style of Donald Strachey and the puzzle. Bet you don't guess the murderer. It's worth pointing out that you don't need to be a collie to enjoy "Lassie" or a guy with a gut to enjoy John Wayne. And you don't need to be gay to enjoy Shock to the System. The movie has it's faults...it was made for cable with awkward acting in some of the secondary roles and it has that clean, careful look of most made-for-TV films. But the mystery is satisfyingly complicated, with a nice number of red herrings. Chad Allen makes a believable, interesting private eye. And his happy home life with Timmy would probably be the envy of many married couples, gay or straight.

Paul Hale, a frightened 20-year-old man, wants Strachey to help him. But before he can tell Strachey what he wants, he is found dead. At first it's thought Hale died of a stroke, but when a lethal mixture of alcohol and barbiturates is found in Hale's system, Strachey decides to find out what was going on. And that takes him undercover to the Phoenix Foundation, a successful institution led by Dr. Trevor Cornell and his wife, where gays and lesbians, Dr. Cornell says, can find their true path to heterosexuality. It turns out that Hale was going to be a poster boy for the Foundation when Cornell announced a major push to go nation-wide with his cures. Not only does Strachey find himself taking part in group therapy and flashing back to his own earlier life, he gets threatened, beaten up, chased and shot. Almost as frightening, he encounter's Hale's wealthy, well-groomed and surgically-enhanced mother. "My son was not gay!" she says. "He was...confused." Strachey eventually solves the crime. Justice, formal and informal, is dealt out.

Donald Strachey is the gay private eye in eight mysteries written by Richard Stevenson, beginning with Death Trick in 1981. They are first-rate reads with clever, involved and sometimes violent plots. In other words, they aren't gay mysteries...they're mysteries that happen to feature a gay private eye. Two of the books have been made into cable movies; this one was shown in 2006 and Third Man Out was shown in 2005. The books are well worth reading if you like mysteries. This movie is no classic, but it makes it's "gay agenda" points low-key enough that they don't interfere with the story. And although there is a bit of beef cake that shows up from time to time, one or two friendly smooches and a quick flash of frontal nudity, the movie has none of the leering smarminess that seems built-in to many of the boy-girl Hollywood films nowadays.

The DVD transfer is excellent. The disc has a director's commentary and two or three extras. I didn't bother to sample them.

While this film is not without flaws, I found it entertaining and believable. I think they could have expanded the Morgan Fairchild role a bit more, as she was mostly just window dressing, but Chad Allen turns in a very good performance as private eye Donald Strachey. I would recommend this film to my friends.

I watched this movie with no idea what to expect. For those curious, the gay aspect it minimal. It is part of the plot, but there aren't "skin" scenes. The plot is well constructed and Chad Allen is quite convincingly strong as the detective. It's nice to see a detective story where the detective isn't omnipotent. Why 4 stars? Hey, I figured the plot twist out before the final reel. I find this more a murder mystery than a gay murder mystery, but others may thrill at the nudity that's there.

I loved "Third Man Out", the first Donald Strachey Mystery movie and this one is even better. The great thing about "Shock To The System" is that the characters are more developed, especially Donald. You get to know him better and in the scene when he tells Timmy about the Army (I can't give details) you feel and cry with him. Chad Allen is a excellent actor but in that particular scene he is simply superb.

I love murder mystery either on film or in books and "Shock To The System" is a great film for those like me who love this genre. But what truly caught my heart is Donald and Timmy's relationship... they are adorable together! This movie is MUST for cute-couple-suckers like me... you can't get wrong with these guys!!!