RELEASED IN 1966 and directed by Arthur Penn, "The Chase" details events in an East Texas town (think Beaumont, TX) when Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) escapes from prison and how this affects the populace. Marlon Brando plays the sheriff who tries to track down Bubber's whereabouts while Angie Dickinson is on hand as his supportive wife. Jane Fonda plays Bubber's ex-girlfriend and James Fox her secret beau. Janice Rule appears as a drunken woman of dubious morality, Robert Duvall her hubby and Richard Bradford one of the men with whom she cheats. E.G. Marshall is on hand as the town mogul. Look for a young Paul Williams as one of the partying teens (he's easy to spot).
"The Chase" is mid-60's Southern Gothic in the manner of "The Fugitive Kind" (1960), "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "Cape Fear" (1962), "This Property Is Condemned" (1966) and "The Long, Hot Summer" (1958). It's arguably on par with most of these, but is significantly superior to the last one. The first act is weak as it establishes the characters, but the story becomes captivating starting with the second act and the surreal drunken party at the mogul's mansion (and the teens in a neighboring abode). Imagine if "Village of the Giants" (1965) was shot as a serious melodrama, minus the giants, and that's the general vibe.
The movie addresses elements of hedonistic revelry, racism, sexual revolution (several of the players are involved in affairs), political corruption (the sheriff is wrongly thought to be bought by the mogul), and vigilante non-justice. The most iconic scene is when the sole voice of reason is viciously beaten by the character played by Bradford, along with his buds. Marlon later cited this as an example of his renowned Method approach. The wild last act in an auto graveyard is also iconic.
Despite the picture's many strengths, it's too meandering and unfocused to be wholly effective, as was Penn's great "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). But you can't beat the cast, especially Brando.
THE FILM RUNS 2 hours and 13 minutes and was shot in California (Calabasas, Chico, Agoura & Burbank studios). WRITERS: Horton Foote (play) & Lillian Hellman (script).
GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)
"The Chase" is mid-60's Southern Gothic in the manner of "The Fugitive Kind" (1960), "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "Cape Fear" (1962), "This Property Is Condemned" (1966) and "The Long, Hot Summer" (1958). It's arguably on par with most of these, but is significantly superior to the last one. The first act is weak as it establishes the characters, but the story becomes captivating starting with the second act and the surreal drunken party at the mogul's mansion (and the teens in a neighboring abode). Imagine if "Village of the Giants" (1965) was shot as a serious melodrama, minus the giants, and that's the general vibe.
The movie addresses elements of hedonistic revelry, racism, sexual revolution (several of the players are involved in affairs), political corruption (the sheriff is wrongly thought to be bought by the mogul), and vigilante non-justice. The most iconic scene is when the sole voice of reason is viciously beaten by the character played by Bradford, along with his buds. Marlon later cited this as an example of his renowned Method approach. The wild last act in an auto graveyard is also iconic.
Despite the picture's many strengths, it's too meandering and unfocused to be wholly effective, as was Penn's great "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). But you can't beat the cast, especially Brando.
THE FILM RUNS 2 hours and 13 minutes and was shot in California (Calabasas, Chico, Agoura & Burbank studios). WRITERS: Horton Foote (play) & Lillian Hellman (script).
GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)