A Killer in the Family

I always liked Robert Mitchum in the movies I saw with him as it always looked very natural and convincing in every role. And when I found this movie on YouTube and seeing that it stars James Spader and Eric Stoltz (two actors I usually like because they are too very natural), I had to see it, and I was right.

Gary Tison (Robert Mitchum) was serving a life sentence for murder and various other crimes. Despite this he looked like a good father and his family went often to visit him in prison. Under his fatherly exterior he was a manipulative and despicable man. And this manipulator managed to convince his three sons (James Spader, Eric Stoltz and Lance Kerwin) to help him and his cell mate escape from prison to the Arizona wilderness, leading to a manhunt. The best part is that after the escape Gary Tison murdered folks (including an entire family for stealing their truck and their stuff) and terrorized his sons for keeping them in line, and they will finally see that their father is NOT the man they thought he was (innocent and loving). All goes well and unpunished not until a final showdown with the police in the desert at night (possibly the coolest scenario).

The main reason for watching this is for the acting. Mitchum is great as a very menacing and evil man that knew how to kill people and how to force his sons for doing his deals. James Spader and Eric Stoltz were very good, while Lance Kerwin was a bit annoying.

In the end, a well acted and scary TV movie, but still a must see for its compelling plot and characters.

Robert Mitchum does an excellent job of manipulating his three sons into breaking him out of prison. Along with another murderer, Stuart Margolin, they follow their escape plan of sneaking into Mexico, using a hand car, on a long forgotten railway. Unfortunately for the fleeing five criminals, it turns out the tracks were long ago torn up for scrap. What follows is a prolonged desert road trip, with constantly changing cars, and constantly changing destinations. A cold blooded murder that is the consequence of one of these car swaps shows the siblings that Mitchum is nothing more than an escaped killer, and they realize their horrifying predicament. Because the sons are presented as sympathetic characters, despite their felonies, the film generates tremendous tension, and is recommended viewing. - MERK

This made for TV movie is gruesome to watch, but it is a factual depiction of the escape of killers Gary Tison and Randy Greenawalt in 1978, from the Arizona State Prison, and was aided by Tison's 3 sons. It was filmed on location in Southern Utah in 1983, and because I collect films made in that area, I have collected a video copy of this film as well.

After collecting this film, I researched and obtained news clippings of the escape and subsequent murders to determine the accuracy of "A Killer In The Family". As a result, I believe the film which was made by a Utah production company, does indeed follow the events with what I believe is relevant and true accuracy.

The murders of the family, I found very hard to imagine and to view, but it was true unfortunately, with even more gruesome results than were depicted in the film. The final outcome of the ending of the film appears to also follow the true story.

This comment may contain a few spoilers for people who are not aware of the events on which this movie is based.

Though it has been a number of years since I've seen this movie, I know it is based on a true story, the Tison family's murderous rampage through the Arizona desert, accompanied by the psychopathic Randy Greenwalt, in the summer of 1978.

Reminiscent of his portrayal as the heavy in "Cape Fear", Mitchum is at his "worst", so to speak (that's actually a compliment), as the brutal psychopath, Gary Tison. I was troubled, though, at the movie's apparent attempt to exonerate the Tison boys of any real culpability beyond the prison escape. Some observers who have seen the surviving sons after their capture say they hardly conveyed an image of otherwise decent boys who only wanted to save their father from a prison bully, and then live in peace. They were more like willing accomplices to the six murders committed during the rampage, even if they didn't do the actual killings. The climactic scene where the gang attempts to run a roadblock, during which oldest son Donald Tison is seen trying to kill his father, was utterly implausible. Donald Tison was in fact killed during an attempt to run a roadblock, but the rest, come on!

Watch it to be entertained, and perhaps even informed, but don't take it all at face value. Check other sources if you want facts.

This wasn't Robert Mitchum's best work. The movie based on a true story is well worth watching if you should see it listed. It was a TV movie and not available on VHS or anything. Both Robert Mitchum and Stuart Margolin (Angel - Rockford Files) give good performances in their roles.