La trahison se paie cash

"Framed" (1975) was legendary film noir director Phil Karlson's first film after the gargantuan success of his 1973 biopic of Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser, "Walking Tall." In "Framed", Karlson continues the theme of revenge which has dominated his body of work since the early 1950's. His masterpieces include "Scandal Sheet" (1952), "Kansas City Confidential" (1953) and, of course, "The Phenix City Story" (1955). "Phenix City" is a fact based biopic, along the lines of "Walking Tall", about the murder of the Attorney General Elect of the State of Alabama. Long considered Karlson's greatest achievement, it was made prior to the sentencing of those involved in the AG's murder, and greatly affected the outcome of their trial. "Framed", compares well to Karlson's best works. Karlson always worked on a limited budget. Like Samuel Fuller and Don Siegel, Karlson was a talented and resourceful filmmaker whose films are often more than they seem. On the surface, Karlson's films appear to be violent exploitation pieces; but, they are much more. Each of Karlson's efforts, particularly the ones mentioned here, are morality plays. Their protagonist is usually a morally just man who wanders too close to immorality, and pays a price. Gambling is often featured as the tempting vice in Karlson's films and "Framed" is no exception. Joe Don Baker, a remarkable and underrated actor, stars here as a small time gambler who owns a bar with his girlfriend, Connie Smith. Following a successful out of town game, Baker is robbed by an unknown assailant and then nearly killed (in one of the most graphic scenes in any Karlson film) by a crooked Deputy Sheriff responding to the scene. In self-defense, Baker kills the officer. Proving once again that there is corruption at every level of the legal system, Baker is sent to prison by a corrupt District Attorney, a corrupt Judge and a corrupt attorney. There's even corruption at a higher level that will ultimately be revealed. While in prison, Baker meets a powerful mob figure (a fine supporting performance by John Marley), and thereby sets in motion his revenge. Vigilante justice is often also a theme of director Karlson. With or without a badge, Karlson's protagonists carry out true justice in spite of the law, while gaining revenge for themselves. They are ultimately heroes because they can be seen as protectors of "the little people" who are downtrodden by the corrupt hierarchy. "Framed" also contains another Karlson trademark: promotion of racial equality. Karlson's films contain some of the most powerfully accurate portraits of racial prejudice along with black characters who are thoughtful and intelligent. Brock Peters, a fine actor, is very good as a deputy who comes to Baker's aid. What other filmmaker, appealing to a largely white southern audience--well, yes, a predominately "redneck" audience--would have had the courage to feature such characters in his films. An intelligent study of Karlson's body of work is long overdue, and "Framed" should be part of that study. It is entertaining and has something to say about our society. It is expertly directed and the performances are above par. If you are looking for an exciting, action packed film with something extra, look no further than "Framed."

I was finally able to see this thanks to the new Legend DVD release. Just like WALKING TALL before it, the film certainly covers a lot of ground and hits about 50 different genres including Southern revenge, police corruption, political corruption, rape-revenge, prisons, mean guards, gambling, mafia, hit men, and lounge acts. As always, Joe Don Baker is great as the rugged Southern type who seeks personal justice. In the end, the script tends to be a bit flabby and it could have been cut down by about 20 minutes though. Make sure to keep an eye out for a stunt involving a car vs. train that is insane. No way anyone in Hollywood would attempt that today!

Rough, tough, gritty, I find here our good old Phil Karlson, his pure, authentic, genuine trademark, the same he gave us in the late forties and fifties, with the likes of KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL or 99 RIVER STREET. Here, Joe Don Baker replaces John Payne but who cares? Till the end of his career, Karlson remains faithful to his DNA, his trademark, his lines. Of course there were some lousy films which he was obliged to make, to pay his bills and fill up the fridge. This one could be seen as a modern western, announcing ROADHOUSE (89) in the atmosphere, and after all this is the WALKING TALL sequel. Karlson's last stand and not the weakest nor the smoothest one. Some sadistic moments which are quite surprising, regarding of the cool atmosphere, sometimes cheesy, like an oater. But those gritty, grue(awe)some torture of fist fight scenes !!!! Oh my God. RIP Phil. I recognized you here.

A rather nasty, low-budget revenge thriller starring Joe Don Baker as a high-rolling professional card-player who encounters a deputy sheriff after escaping an earlier shoot-out set-up. When he kills the cop in clear self-defence, he's quickly railroaded by the so-called justice system, which includes his own solicitor and it seems the rest of the police department, is coerced into taking the rap for the "crime" and so goes to prison. The baddies even send a couple of heavies round to Baker's nightclub-singer girlfriend to stop her background efforts to help him and in fact take this to extremes by raping her under threat of a gun.

Rather like the internee in Stevie Wonder's great contemporary song, "Living For The City", Joe Don unsurprisingly leaves prison embittered and hardened, determined to exact revenge on those who put him inside and abused his girl. While in prison, he's made a couple of useful buddies, one a crime boss with connections and the other a paid hitman, who both come in very handy later on in the proceedings.

From there, you can pretty much get out your abacus to tally up the acts of violence and body count both of which steadily accumulate. You know how these things regularly turn out and this last-man-standing scenario isn't about to offer up any surprises in that respect.

With plenty of brutal scenes of violence depicted, including an unnecessarily cruel slaying of a guard dog, I suppose we must be grateful for the small mercies of the director not going all "Straw Dogs" in the treatment of the sexual attack on the singer, but nonetheless the acting is mixed in quality, although Baker certainly projects his tough-hombre persona even, it seems, while wearing crimplene slacks and a safari jacket.

Listen, I never watched any of the "Death Wish" movies which probably inspired this and I note as a sidebar that this type of feature has sort of come back into vogue, with Liam Neeson's "Taken" movies, not to mention Denzel Washington's "Equaliser" films, but this effort is a rather cheap and nasty affair, being a lot less well acted and directed, making me wish I'd done what Baker failed to do and that is, turn the other cheek when it came up on the screen.

A Tennessee gambler (Joe Don Baker) who also runs a bar accidentally kills a sheriff in an act of self defence and is sent to prison for a long stretch. When he is eventually released early on parole he realises that he was set up and goes after those responsible to exact his revenge.

A very 1970s violent neo-noir small thriller with many violent set pieces. It was made by the team and lead actor who had made WALKING TALL in 1973. Director Phil Karlson was a veteran of tough hardboiled crime, gangster and action films and was allowed to go full force here.