Director: John Flynn
Starring: William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, Dabney Coleman
Running Time: 100 minutes
Synopsis: It's 1973, and U.S. Air Force Major Charles Rane (William Devane) and Master Sergeant Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones) return to San Antonio after suffering seven years of torture in a North Vietnamese prison. Charles' emotions are numb as his wife confesses she intends to marry another man, and he rebuffs the infatuated advances of local waitress Linda Forchet (Linda Haynes). When violent criminals invade his home causing family losses and a permanent injury, he decides to pursue his own brand of revenge, with help from Linda and Johnny.
What Works Well: This Paul Schrader story hovers between exploitive B-movie vigilantism and a searing exploration of post-war mental trauma. Primarily interested in the damaged psychology of a tortured-then-released prisoner-of-war, the pacing is deliberate and the writing sharp, director John Flynn using the few moments of uncompromising violence as exclamation marks. William Devane finds a career highlight in a role demanding devastating emotional expression through long moments of grim silence assisted by ever-present aviator sunglasses. He is ably supported by Linda Haynes representing normalcy struggling to understand a veteran's mangled mind. Tommy Lee Jones' role is small but crucial, Johnny's immediate readiness to resume the war when asked a voluminous condemnation of failed integration.
What Does Not Work As Well: The bad guys are poorly defined and reduced to interchangeable burly men, robbing Charles' quest of any worthy counterpoint. The details of the search for justice are lost in sweaty small town border canteens and a torrent of nicknames.
Key Quote:
Linda: Why do I always get stuck with crazy men?
Charles: 'Cause that's the only kind that's left.
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