The Chase
The American South has always suffered from a duality issue in terms of its overall image as known in America (and the world). On one hand, they are said (mostly by Southerners themselves) to be a simple, God fearing people, adhering to Christian values and a belief in the goodness of themselves.  On the other hand, they have also come to be known by many as being a seedy, decadent type of folk who are known for deviant behavior, rampant violence and of course, racism, so much so at times that the famed label of being âThe Bible Beltâ is actually one of hypocritical irony. Which side that they actually fall on in terms of the truth probably depends on if youâve ever lived there, but one of the most interesting affirmations of the latter opinion is in this film directed by the semi legendary Arthur Penn, one year away from making the game changing Bonnie And Clyde and also the helmer of several other smaller, interesting projects over the years. One almost refreshing aspect of the story is despite the year of release (1966), the element of racism (while still present in the story) takes more of a backseat to the atmosphere of class warfare, one where the rich people manage to keep themselves segregated from the poor (white) people and leave them to tend to their own business their own way, which is how much of the trouble within the story starts. This may be due to the fact that the original story was actually written by Horton Foote in the early 1950s (with an attempt made by Gary Cooper to acquire the rights and get the movie made himself) before the rest of the country had taken notice of the civil rights movement and made it such a hot topic, somewhat making this movie more of a gothic potboiler melodrama than any kind of real treatise on what was actually going on in America at that time.  They certainly went all out in signing up an all star cast here starting off with Marlon Brando as the sheriff of a small southern town who does everything he can to retain his conscience in the face of such vile actions by his fellow townspeople.  Also in the mix is a plethora of other big names such as Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Miriam Hopkins, Robert Duvall, James Fox, Henry Hull, Clifton James and even very small cameos by the likes of Paul Williams and Bruce Cabot (best known as the hero in the original 1933 King Kong). The film begins after the escape from prison of one Charlie âBubberâ Reeves (Redford) who is already on the run during the opening credits and quickly finds himself in even hotter water when the convict he escapes with kills a motorist in cold blood and then abandons him on the side of the road, leaving him to be blamed for the innocent manâs murder. Turns out that Redfordâs original arrest that led to his conviction was quite the scandal in the small town from which he came (although it is implied that he was actually framed) and Brandoâs Sheriff Calder takes note of the escape on the opinion that Redford would be a fool to come back to the place where everybody knows him and the irony becomes that while Redford is mostly just stumbling around in the dark trying to figure out what to do next, it is the actual NEWS of his escape that once spread like wildfire throughout the whole town starts to stir the entire place into a frenzy.  Several people begin wondering if Redford might just come back to settle some old scores including with his wife (Fonda) and best friend (Fox) who have been carrying on their own affair for several years. It turns out that Fox is also the son of the townâs resident rich man (Marshall) who is refreshingly portrayed as a more benign figure whose greatest sin might be in being too protective of his own flesh and blood. Then there is the bankâs vice president (Duvall) who is miffed that his social status is not high enough to be invited to one of Marshallâs private parties (not being personal friends with the old man but still doing business with him) while he laments over his wife (Janice Rule) almost openly screwing around with a co worker (Richard Bradford, best known as the old, white haired Irish cop who gets beaten up by Sean Connery in The Untouchables back when he was actually YOUNG) but also possessing an innate fear that Redford might just come looking for him because he used to bully him as a kid! There is also Redfordâs parents (Hopkins and Malcolm Atterbury) who hope and pray that their son will come home safe but know that he probably wonât. Indeed, the story seems to build on the idea that Redford when it comes to the nickname that heâs known by (Bubber) has become some sort of an all purpose bogeyman for the people as they wonder where and when he will turn up next (or first) and the paranoia reaches a fever pitch. Meanwhile, straddling all this is Brando himself along with his wife (Dickinson) who is absolutely disgusted by the behavior that he has witnessed from his fellow townspeople (even as most of them believe that Brando has been bought and paid for in the pocket of Marshallâs rich man). Those thinking that Brandoâs Sheriff is more or less his own take on Buford T. Justice might find themselves a bit surprised here as Brando not only gives one of the weaker, more indifferent performances in the movie, but his repeated attempts at a Southern drawl is actually undermined by his trademark mumbling style of delivery, sounding for all the world like Vito Corleone if he ever decided to become an agent for small town law enforcement. But his presence does anchor the film well as Redford does indeed return to his hometown (mostly because itâs the only place where he has friends who will give him food, money, shelter and a car) while Fonda and Fox determine that they must find Redford first with the intention of either helping him escape or convincing him to turn himself into Brando who promises that he will be treated with the utmost concern for his safety and well being. It turns out to be for good reason too as a drunken (white) lynch mob (who are friends with Duvall) has formed with the intention of hunting down Redford themselves but not before warming themselves up by mercilessly harassing a black man who is a known friend of Redfordâs and eventually going after Sheriff Brando himself, delivering a brutal beatdown on him that nearly takes him out of the movie all on the perception that he is being too âsoftâ while conducting the manhunt (along with having Hopkins as Redfordâs mother verbally chastise him for being paid off by Marshall to hunt down and murder her son, a wrongful notion since all Marshall really cares about is the safety and well being of HIS son Fox). Meanwhile, Fonda professing to her being in love with both of the two best friends Redford and Fox while also being thought of by the rest of the town as being nothing more than a whore only adds to her anxiety (even as all the other wives in the town are obviously portrayed as also being of the cheating kind). It all leads to a weirdly absurd and humorous climax where a literal roving party shows up at the scene of the final standoff (and makes matters greatly worse) followed by a gutpunch finale that only serves to punctuate everything thatâs come before it. If it seems like there are just too many characters and too much story for what one would presume would merely be a simple manhunt tale, then youâd be right on the mark almost to the point where the whole entire thing feels more like a great big soap opera, with Brandoâs lead character being the one who openly expresses his disgust at the downward turn in humanity and society (a tactic used years later with Tommy Lee Jonesâ character in the Oscar winning No Country For Old Men) that heâs witnessed and in doing so pretty much gives the movie its whole point and reason for existing. If anything though, the best acting here would have to be by Marshall and Fox as the rich father and son whose relationship is becoming more and more strained (since everyone in the town except Marshall himself knows about the relationship between his son and Fonda, one that appears to be dangerous now since Fonda is still married to Redfordâs fugitive).  However, the chaos and nihilism of the final scenes serves more as a condemnation to the culture of The South itself, a place where twisted minds and values have come to show that the awfulness of lynching and racial prejudice are merely just the cornerstone for a society that generally doesnât care for the concepts of right and wrong considering all the suffering that they inflict upon each other regardless of raceâŚ
7/10