...tick... tick... tick...

This movie isn't typically my genre of choice, since it's predictably depressing, but I watched it for love of Fredric March. Even in his old age, in one of his last movies, he managed to turn a throwaway part into a memorable one. He plays the mayor of a Southern racist town, and he takes a healthy bite out of all his lines.

Freddie isn't the star of the movie, though. Jim Brown is, playing a new sheriff in town. Even though no one wants him to take the job, and his pregnant wife begs him to step down, he thinks it's important to take a stand. He gets heckled, his wife gets threatened, and he nearly loses his life in a routine arrest, but still he won't quit. Depending on your point of view, you'll either think him admirable or not prioritizing the right things.

One of the great parts of the film is George Kennedy, the retiring sheriff. He's always a solid, consistent performer, and he carries the energy of this movie from scene to scene. One of the lousy parts of the film is Jerry Styner's music. This is a serious movie akin to Hurry Sundown, and during some sequences, Styner wrote comical, cartoon-esque music. Was he told to lighten the mood, or did he have no idea what the movie was about? It's quite distracting, but if bad music won't hinder your enjoyment and you like George Kennedy, you can give this a shot.

Sure, if one is going to compare this film to the earlier "In the Heat of the Night", it can't quite measure up, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good film in its own right. It's a pretty effective story of race relations, in which a black man, Jimmy Price (Jim Brown) is elected the new sheriff of Colusa County. He's replacing the outgoing sheriff, white man John Little (George Kennedy). Jimmy is going to have a rough road ahead of him, but rises to the challenge, and enforces the law in a fair manner, showing no favouritism to either race. His job is made particularly difficult when he arrests a young man (Robert Random) who's killed a little girl in a traffic accident, and the mans' bigshot father (Karl Swenson) shows up to demand his release.

Brown is extremely good in this early lead role, playing a character of likability and integrity. Kennedy is also fine as the one white person willing to stand behind him. A lot of familiar faces fill out supporting and character roles: Lynn Carlin (as Littles' wife), Janet MacLachlan (as Prices' spouse), Don Stroud, Richard Elkins, Clifton James, Mills Watson, Bernie Casey, Anthony James (who was actually in "In the Heat of the Night"), Dub Taylor, and Barry Cahill. Stroud is utterly convincing as Littles' former deputy who's one of the biggest, creepiest racists in the bunch. All of the performers do fine work, but it's the great Fredric March (in one of his last film roles) who tends to steal the show as the aged, ill tempered mayor who's resistant to the idea of outside help.

Plenty of solid local flavour and a nice assortment of music help to make this decent entertainment. Director Ralph Nelson manages to milk some believable tension out of the scenario, especially near the end when it's believed that Swenson will be returning to town with all of his bigoted cronies.

Nelson does come up with an ingenious way to begin the action, with some of the townspeople literally frying an egg on the pavement while there is insistent ticking on the soundtrack. And there's a highly amusing exchange between our leads to end the film.

Seven out of 10.

I can't rate it a 10 because of the music, the music did not go with the movie, happy go lucky in a racially tense movie, didn't make any scence to me, I guess when I first saw it, I didn't mind the music back then but now the music is stupid

Film-critic Leonard Maltin called this "a poor man's In the Heat of the Night", which sounds like an easy way to dismiss a movie that is actually quite good on it's own terms, and not really anywhere close "In the Heat of the Night" story-wise (except for the part of white southerners learning to respect a black man).

In my opinion, Jim Brown is one of the coolest athletes-turned-actors of his generation. Sure, he's no Sidney Poitier, but who is? Here he's given one of the best parts of his career, and he even gets great support from a number of wonderful actors, notably the legendary Fredric March, who chews the scenery as a quarrelsome old mayor and George Kennedy as the former sheriff (and I guess this movie's equivalent to Rod Steiger if Leonard Maltin had a say in it). Don Stroud (whatever happened to his career?) is creepy as a racist ex-deputy and any fan of Clifton James should get a kick out of his part, as a leading klan-member who in the end turns out to be one of the main characters in the plot, and not such a bad guy after all.

A surprisingly engaging movie, at times quite gripping, with inspired direction by Ralph Nelson and a show of force from a first-rate cast.

7.5/10

This film is hugely under rated and deserved a clutch of awards.

"Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the Deep South".

The movie is set in a time when race almost defined a nation. And the picture captures the period brilliantly illustrating the culture, language and music of the era.

There are stand out performances from George Kennedy-surely one of his finest- as the former sheriff coming to terms with unemployment and racism. The town mayor played by Frederic March, who gives a charismatic amusing performance. But the best of all and the one who steal the show is Clifton James who is apparently hostile to the new sheriff but events have a way of changing minds. Where he excels is his ability to convey his thoughts silently, a skill few actors possess.

All the cast are convincing as is the ultimate theme and outcome of the story.

Highly recommended:

8/10.