Greydon Clark's own book "On The Cheap" details the making of each of his films, including this one which was backed by an English producer. Susan Blakely's lead character is institutionalized after a violent murder of her daughter in an elevator has left her seriously traumatized. It's believed that a known serial killer who attacks in elevators is the culprit. Wings Hauser plays her estranged husband who still wants Blakely back despite her asking for a divorce prior to the incident. Richard Masur plays her therapist, and Edward Albert appears as a cop who takes particular interest in the murders-- why was Blakely's character unharmed and only the child killed, against the pattern of the murderer? Blakely is shown as unhinged and convinced that her child is still alive, clearly struggling with what seems like actual appearances and phone calls from her dead child. Is she delusional or is there a more complicated plot afoot?
Clark's work has a certain charm even if it doesn't always work, and he often managed some good performances out of the many stars who ended up in his 20+ features. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND was shot over fifteen days for $400,000. As a b-movie made in the late 1980s, this one holds up pretty well. The primary cast were all established capable actors and are working above the limited budget of this production, particularly Blakely and Albert who manage some good interplay. Wings Hauser supplies his usual electric, potentially unhinged character performance, and as usual is highly entertaining (he only worked one week on this picture). Masur is reliable as ever and Clark manages a few good twists and solid misdirection as to who is involved and what their motivation is. This is a character-driven story more than a sleazy genre film and it ought to be judged as thus. It does at times feel like a TV movie but for the thriller/neo-noir genre which popular at that time there are far weaker examples.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND appears hard to access. It had a very limited release in the US and appears to have been more widely available internationally. I watched it on a Prism/Paramount videotape (the pairing of both companies is unusual) and overall it's was a nice surprise for a efficient low-budget psychological thriller.
Clark's work has a certain charm even if it doesn't always work, and he often managed some good performances out of the many stars who ended up in his 20+ features. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND was shot over fifteen days for $400,000. As a b-movie made in the late 1980s, this one holds up pretty well. The primary cast were all established capable actors and are working above the limited budget of this production, particularly Blakely and Albert who manage some good interplay. Wings Hauser supplies his usual electric, potentially unhinged character performance, and as usual is highly entertaining (he only worked one week on this picture). Masur is reliable as ever and Clark manages a few good twists and solid misdirection as to who is involved and what their motivation is. This is a character-driven story more than a sleazy genre film and it ought to be judged as thus. It does at times feel like a TV movie but for the thriller/neo-noir genre which popular at that time there are far weaker examples.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND appears hard to access. It had a very limited release in the US and appears to have been more widely available internationally. I watched it on a Prism/Paramount videotape (the pairing of both companies is unusual) and overall it's was a nice surprise for a efficient low-budget psychological thriller.