Savages

I saw this movie a couple times and enjoyed it. Andy Griffith plays a a great role as a psychopath stalking a young man through the desert and mountains. This is the only time I have seen Andy Griffith play a bad guy, and he did it to a tee. I would highly recommend this film if you can ever catch it on TV.

Good old Andy Griffith is mostly known and legendary for his leading roles in the long-running TV hits "The Andy Griffith Show" and, of course, Grampa Simpson's favorite "Matlock". I have to be very honest and admit I've never seen a single episode of these two series, nor anything else he ever did. Having only seen this ABC movie of the week "Savages", I can only say it's regrettable that this man didn't portray any more villainous characters throughout his career instead of making ten thousand episodes of the same damn show! Griffith depicts one of the most loathsome types of bad guys in this film: an obnoxious, rich, sleazy and egocentric elderly guy who thinks he's more powerful than God himself. The performance is very convincing, and solely based on his portrayal of Horton Madec, I think Griffith should have played more roles like it. Horton Madec headed out to the desert to hunt for mountain ram trophies, but the trip doesn't really goes as planned. When Madec (accidentally?) kills a local hermit, his youthful guide Ben wants to do the right thing and report it. The old man fears a scandal and offers Ben a bribe. When he refuses, Madec forces Ben to strip off his clothes and wander through the hot desert without food or water. The young man is strong, but Madec chases him around in his jeep and rifles. "Savages" is a bit of a misleading title. It's in plural even though there's only one baddie and he isn't even a savage but more like a sophisticated and eloquent villain. If the plot sounds vaguely familiar, it's because you have probably seen it numerous times before already. The "hunting humans" storyline is one of the most popular themes in the horror/action business and exists since the early 1930's, with the timeless classic "The Most Dangerous Game". Since then the same plot has been reworked into versions, each with a different setting or specific type of characters, for example a prison in "Blood Camp Thatcher. This plot always works and practically guarantees a suspenseful movie. "Savages" simply replaces the tropical island setting with a seemingly endless and baking desert, but it's enough. This is a TV-production, so don't expect any extreme violence, but director Lee Katzin ("Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?") provides enough tense atmosphere and beautiful imagery.

At the time I thought this was a totally different path for the usually good natured roles that Andy Griffith did. He played the psychopathic hunter to perfection as he stalked the terrified boy through the wilderness. This story has been done several times in differing ways, but this one remains one of my favorites.

Andy Griffith got his start playing a bad guy in "A Face in the Crowd." Don't miss that one since it is one of the earlier films on the role of the media in politics. It also shows the way politicians use the good old boy image to mask the Machiavellian schemer beneath, e.g. Reagan, Clinton and Bush 2.

Griffith had also just played a very bad dude in "Pray for the Wildcats" where he causes the death of two teenagers because the female rejects his dirty-old-man seduction attempts.

This film sticks pretty close to the Robb White original novel (which I got in grade school in the scholastic books weekly reader program in the early 70's). I was very excited to see a movie version since I had just read the novel. The description of the effects of deadly dehydration in the desert are not realized in the movie since to be realistic would have required some serious make-up effects work.

This atypical and highly suspenseful battle of wits in the high desert features Andy Griffith cleverly cast against type as a menacing and creepy villain who keeps you (and the protagonist) guessing to the end. Essentially one extended chase / battle between two people, SAVAGES eschews intervention from the outside world until late, which keeps the story simple and focused on the two's mortal (and mental) combat. Several cat and mouse exchanges are intriguing but the piece is most compelling because of its unusually personal narrative. Similar in theme to HELL IN THE PACIFIC, Spielberg's DUEL and THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, SAVAGES is still its own movie and is difficult to turn away from once you start watching, though it isn't always pleasant.

Better than many features and way above average for television, SAVAGES is an excellent neglected thriller with many surprises and a literate, well-reasoned script. Based on the dynamite novel DEATH WATCH by longtime William Castle horror scribe Robb White (possibly his best work.) 9/10