Nowhere Man

Starring:Frank Olivier, Michael Rodrick, Debbie Rochon, Lloyd Kaufman, Bob Gosse, Michael Risley, James Burton, Mark Tchelistcheff, Rod Razor, Steve Olivieri, Aaron Parker, Eric Hill (II), Paul Williams (III), Kathy Good, Elvira Sinani, Juliette Olivier, James W. Harrison III, Larry O'Neil, Joe Indusi, Herbert Golder, Debbie Rochon
Director: Tim McCann
Studio: First Run Features
Product Type: DVD

Description

Unknown forces conspire to erase the identity of photographer Thomas Veil (Bruce Greenwood, I, Robot), and without warning, every aspect of his life is erased during the course of one evening. His wife acts as if he's a stranger, his credit cards are suddenly invalid, his keys no longer fit the door to his home and in one way or another, his family and friends are silenced. Completely alone, Veil sets out on a desperate cross-country quest for an answer while eluding his powerful and unknown enemy. His only clue to the possible motivation behind the harrowing ordeal is the disappearance of one of his photographs, "Hidden Agenda," which depicts the execution of natives in a war-torn Third World country. SPECIAL FEATURES: - Audio and video commentaries (Larry Hertzog, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Dunne, Steve Rodman, Art Monterastelli and Ian Toynton) - Interviews (Larry Hertzog, Art Monterastelli, Guy Magar, Steve Rodman, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Levine, Megan Gallagher) - Deleted and extended scenes - Promotional spots - Outtakes - Featurette -- "Networking" (UPN executive Mike Sullivan and series creator Larry Hertzog reminisce) - Featurette -- "Fact or Fiction?" (an anonymous ex-CIA operative reveals real world government conspiracies, mind control techniques and how fragile our identity really is)

Customer Reviews:

Cover-up for what exactly? Red herrings?.......2007-04-04

Without getting into episode breakdowns' and such, I just want to ditto the review that 'Chris Roberts' (feb 18, 2007) stated, which is very succinct.

'Nowhere Man' IS a very well done show, it looks and feels good, and you certainly get alot of DVD time for the money.

Try as I might however I can't give this show much more than 3.5 stars. After the initial episodes transpire, the storyline never develops much after the oft repeated need to "get the negatives", staging an elaborate ruse such as THEY do on the main character, Tom Veil.

It gets convoluted when it does'nt need to be. It's not THAT complex of a story to begin with.

Entertaining in a no-brainer kind of way and worth a look, but you might get the feeling of redundancy with 65% of the episodes where the story never advances.

Everyone and everything slips into a "performance-within-a-performance" (just like one of the episodes where he is steered into witnessing a TV show being filmed about HIS particular predicament!): a ruse to fool Mr. Veil into fulfilling his "manchurian candidate" mission...advancing up a clandestine chain of command, inadvertently eliminating the "unworthy".

This "ruse" can be figured out halfway thru the series because the episode plots' make no real credible sense, the story opting for massive Black Ops gunplay and the disposal of possible other witnesses to keep Nowhere Man moving on from town to town by his fear of being discovered; or mysterious phone messages offering Tom (and us) "answers".

Except for an interesting sidestory or two (human interest or topical) not related specifically to the main "mystery", the series falls short NOT from an overabundance of Conspiracy (ala the later seasons of X-Files)...but rather an underwhelming explanation/exploration of the Conspiracy initially presented at the begining that hooked me into watching in the first place (the cigar thing gets tiresome, OK I get it..."he's one of THEM!").

The final revelatory episode(s) seemed too easy a way to conclude it all. I found myself asking, that's it?

Respectfully, to all those very positive reviewers', it was those reviews which prompted me to purchase this. Maybe I missed something, fair enough. It's only one person's opinion anyway.

Great Series, canceled too soon.......2007-03-12

This was a great show, that never quite reached the audience it should have. Towards the end of its run, it got a little bit too silly (the virtual reality episode in particular, just didn't make any sense), but otherwise, this was a terrific show.

Production values on the DVD collection are terrific, as are the included extras.

One Time Bruce Greenwood Went Slumming Too.......2007-02-19

When I first started watching this show my first thought was "Wow, this is pretty ambitious stuff for early UPN." And it is. . .but it is also creating an illusion for the audience. That illusion being that they are telling a story with these episodes when in reality they are telling a bunch of little stories all based around the same premise: Tom Veil (Bruce Greenwood), a man who has had his identity stolen, wanders into whacked out situations and tries to prevent bad guys from catching him and stealing his negatives. So throughout 25 episodes the show meanders hither and yon, leaving a trail of loose ends in its wake. "Nowhere Man" travels through Nowhere America, we watch as Veil moves from one creepy small town to the next. They make references to places like Phoenix and Washington DC, but he would never be so brave as to venture into a place that you could find on a map. So while the show may not be as bold as the producers may have thought, it is still a good show that evades greatness by going after the fun/no brainer feel too hard.

Tom Veil in the only character that appears in every episode. Going for the artistic look they dress him up in a "Da Vinci Code" hair cut and a wide assortment of blue jeans. He's a good actor and carries the show even if he at times comes off as too calm and too in control. On his journey he meets a lot of colorful characters who engage him for one episode and then disappear forever. His wife shows up a few times, but since the integrity of the episode structure must be maintained she always has to disappear before the end credits role. My favorite one had Richard Kind playing a TV producer who has a show based on the life of Tom Veil. The cleverness comes from the show nearly breaking kayfabe and saying exactly what I was thinking. Yes, the heavies are too powerful! Yes, the show is too predictable! There are a few bombs to be found in this collection as well. One has Veil travel into a virtual reality world to track down the conspiracy. That one will have you laughing at the outlandish ideas these people had about computer technology back then.

The Tom Veil vs. The World narrative works very well, but you can see them straining to keep it interesting. As the season wears on you can see the dots begin to connect less and less and the storyline begins to take on something of a Lynchian feel to it. To their credit, the final revelation is not what you are expecting, but that doesn't mean all the pieces add up either. It does justify the strength of the heavies, but that is about it. My advice to you would be not to watch too many of these in a row. If you watch 2 or 3 at a time you can be overcome with escapist glee, kind of like an "Alias" episode. More than anything you will begin to realize just how conventional the show is if you watch more than 3 in a row. All that said, the show is far from a waste of time. It is dated, but it asks questions that are more relevant today than they were ten years ago. Is it better to live under a fascist or live on the run? Tom Veil choose to live on the run and continue his endless pursuit of the truth, and as this seasons shows that is something that is awfully hard to come by when facing off against the US government. Watch this show and enjoy the ride.

Nowhere Man - .......2007-02-13

I have waited several years for the DVD collection of Nowhere Man to become available. The story is about a man's journey to recover his identify after a secret government agency removes all traces of his existence -- At times he wonders if he is loosing his mind although most of his experiences reveal a sinister plot by this agency to obtain a photograph of an assacination he had taken -- The writing is intense and the acting - top notch!

One of the best shows ever, watch once & your hooked.......2007-01-15

When this show came out, I found it accidentally a few episodes in. I was instantly hooked. If you read the other reviews you will find I was not alone. One of the most intriguing, unusual, keep you guessing shows you'll ever see. When it went off the air, I looked for years for it to be put on tape, then dvd, FINALLY it is. Read the other reviews, they say it much better.

Average customer rating:

Debbie's best work
DARK, BAWDY AND FEROCIOUS
Video Cheapster Makes You Wince and Laugh
Deep down, a great B-movie

Nowhere Man
Starring: Michael Rodrick , Debbie Rochon , Frank Olivier , Lloyd Kaufman , and Bob Gosse
Director: Tim McCann
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Description

Critics are raving about Tim McCann's twisted, comic thriller! A potent brew of suspense and black humor, McCann's unique film noir is the story of one man's search for his missing penis, severed and stolen by his jilted fiancée after her pornographic past comes to light. Starring: Michael Rodrick (DESOLATION ANGELS) and Debbie Rochon ("Scream Queen of the Decade!")

Customer Reviews:

Debbie's best work.......2006-08-20

I'm a big fan of Debbie Rochon, cult horror actress whose considerable acting chops are often lost in the substandard stuff she's in, so it's a pleasure to see her in a film that actually uses her skills. This is a nicely crafted low budget film about some unpleasant things (esp. if you're a guy: there's a urination scene sure to get every male cringing), but it's got humor, good characterizations, and the lovely Ms. Rochon in top form.

DARK, BAWDY AND FEROCIOUS .......2005-08-03

This no budget hand grenade rips apart the mold of gutless, brainless and disingenuously politically correct products that have become de rigueur in filmmaking today: our main character discovers that his fiancée has appeared in several interracial porno films; our main character calls off the engagement and abuses said fiancée; our main character has his penis cut off and held for ransom. Sound like an exploitation film? Yes, but this one has brains and wit. Probably one of the darkest films you'll ever see, but the pathos is leavened with a twisted humor (catch 'Daddy Mac' rapping, or 'Dr. Johnson' counseling). This being said, 'Nowhere Man' is sure to offend some of you, especially those who specialize in getting moralistic and self righteously worked up over whatever. And many will be turned off by the low production values, and somewhat thin storyline. But these are petty qualms in what is a gutsy little piece of counter-culture.

Video Cheapster Makes You Wince and Laugh.......2005-07-26

Okay, I feel like I've just been tickled and punched for eighty minutes. This shot on video movie about a great-looking guy who searches for his (...) in the porn underworld deserves a lot of credit for it's intelligence, but most of all for it's unrelenting intensity. Aside from the pulpy aspects, this film has some incredibly honest moments: the relationship between the two leads rings strong and true; this film also has the most intense `rape' scene since the one in that French film "IRREVERSIBLE". Probably not your cup of tea if you like comedies with the word `wedding' in the title. But if you don't mind the cut-rate production, get ready for a very interesting viewing.

Deep down, a great B-movie.......2005-07-23

Two things immediately put this movie at a disadvantage: it's shot on video, and it involves a guy getting his willy removed. So once the good taste snobs and the aesthetic snobs took their whacks at this movie, it didn't have a chance in theaters.

It is, however, a really enjoyable classic-style B-movie, like the work of Anthony Mann or DETOUR (which is featured briefly in the film). Director Tim McCann has made a couple of great under-the-radar movies, and this fits snugly in with those. I recommend checking this out, as well as his previous work REVOLUTION #9 (which also has a Beatles title) and DESOLATION ANGELS (which also deals with a man unhinged by a secret dealing with his girlfriend). The acting all around, in the lead and smaller roles, is surprisingly and uniformly brilliant.

If you can get over yourself, I think you'll like it.

Average customer rating:

The Man From Nowhere
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Manufacturer: Wild East
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
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