Clover Bend

A cop (Robert Urich) get called to a crimescene on his and his wifes weddingday, and gets involved in a shootout with a guy holding some girl hostage.. Both the girl and the hostagetaker is killed. 2 days later the cop and his wife and 2 kids go on a camping-trip, but when they pull in to a gas-station they end up in the middle of what looks like a robbery. The wife is taken hostage during the escape and gets shot by the criminals, and when they drive away the cop opens fire and hits one of them as well. A few minutes later the wife dies. The criminal who got shot dies a month later and his brother goes after the cop, who now has moved with his kids to his hometown where he stays with his father who is the sheriff of this small town. A showdown in the end when the criminals comes to town to settle the score with the cop. I would say that this isnt a very good movie, but good enough for a tv movie.

The movie is essentially a bit of every Hollywood cliché you can imagine, man in wilderness pursued by bad guys who killed his wife... Man is cop, he was in LA (so, yes, you have the mean urbans versus pure rurals here, the wet dream of the likes of Sarah Palin)... The musical score underlining the bits that the stiff acting simply can't carry is abominable, and sooo predictable: Man drives truck = country music, Man being despondent and self-pitying = slow and mournful violins, etc.... Avoidable to the max. There is the entire beginning is a set-up for the end. Boy plays with slingshot.... you know he's going to use it to save dad. You just know it, because it is so inorganic.

Half a star for the audience that can make it through this bilge.

Story was cliche, the acting was poor. Nothing really happens most of the movie, it is extremely slow. Nothing happens that you can't see coming. This will put you to sleep. I fast forwarded through the last 30 minutes just to end it.

This movie was quite enjoyable, Once you get past the fact that it is a drama, not an action movie. Some people can't handle this.

The dialogue and story were quite solid and believable. The emotions realistically portrayed... I'm not sure why people can't slow down and look for the humanity in a film.

The score was good and well utilised, never overstepping. We could use more brave films like this, to help us with understanding our humanity. Grief, especially when brought about by violence is more prevalent than ever...

Let us not grow numb to pain, sadness, recovery and healing.

Sometimes it's just a drama.

This is a must for all fan's of Robert Urich, its his best performance over a long career and a must see for both the visual direction and the music score. The director has made sure that both play on your emotions and heart.

The pain is both visible and physical and it show's the torment a family goes through when you lose someone close to you and there is nothing anyone can do. To see the pain on Robert Urich's face when he realizes (as we all do, too late) that there was so much to be said but so little time to do it.

The children are convincing and not melodramatic and David Kieth exudes hatred and pure evil in a role which he must have reveled in.

Shame there are no extras regarding the film or actors on the DVD that has since been released.

The story is mediocre but it doesn't stagnate, it builds strength in the actors and actually becomes believable even to the silly but obvious showdown between Robert Urich & David Keith.

It show's that actors of Urich's caliber are few and hard to find and he will surely be missed.