O Dono Do Medo

I 1st read the book In Broad Daylight when I was a kid (GREAT book) & after hearing there was a movie based on the book, I just had to see it.In my opinion, the movie was almost as good as the book was.If you liked the movie, pick up the book & if you liked the book, watch the movie.I say it a lot in my old Made For TV movie reviews, they don't make Made For TV movies like they use to & here's another.In Broad Daylight had my attention right from the start & had me on the edge of my seat till the very end.Brian Dennehy was absolutely evil.If I had a list of movie villains I LOVE to HATE, Brian Dennehy as Len Rowan would be 1 of them.I don't understand why In Broad Daylight & some other Made For TV movies as well were never released on DVD.If it ever is, I'd pick it up.I can't imagine everybody liking this movie but I think that most people that watch it will

The names were changed but it's based on a true story of the events in Skidmore, Missouri and the real villain was Ken McElroy who was very much like John Gotti without the class, style, and grace of his demeanor. He had fathered children with two women who lived together. No, not because he's a polygamist. In this movie, the McElroy character is played chillingly by Brian Dennehy who is one of America's finest actors on stage, film or television.

Oscar Winner Marcia Gay Harden plays one of his wives with a depth that is easily overlooked. Oscar Winner Cloris Leachman plays one of the man's many victims. No matter what this character did, the law and justice system failed to protect this small Missouri town so they took justice into their own hands. As Leachman's character states at the end "If you live by the sword, you die the sword." The book entitled In Broad Daylight is equally riveting but adds another level of understanding of how a man like this can exist in the first place.

This (TV) movie is sort of like a western - except the story told actually happened and it happened in the 1980s, not the 1880s.

One man terrorizes a small town. The townspeople are too intimidated to do much about it, except an old WWII veteran who finally manages to inspire some resolve into the townspeople.

Good performances all around by the cast, but the shining star of this movie is Brian Dennehy. His menacing portrayal of evil is one of his best performances ever.

The town bully, a dangerous thug, runs roughshod over the entire town including the ineffective town marshal. Fear of this oaf and his cruel family allowed him to intimidate and injure several folks. Ultimately, these animals are dealt with by the only means they will ever understand...brute force. When dealing with trash like this man and his family, the decision to quell his activities should not be long in making.

I live 10 miles away from where this event happened, and as soon as I moved here, I was told I had to read this book and see the movie. This is a pretty good adaptation of the non-fiction book it is based on of the same title. I encourage people to not only see this movie but to also read the book, as you get MUCH backstory on not only the main character (who's real name is Ken McElroy), but also on the community and the area.

Most aspects of the book are the same as the film, although there are some differences. The main one involves the town. Skidmore (Darby in the film) is a much poorer community than what is portrayed here. I do wonder how it was in the early 80's when this happened, but I doubt it was much different. I drove through after reading the book and seeing the movie to see the place where this happened, and if you blink you miss it.

The only thing I don't like is the newscaster at the end speaking out against vigilante justice. When you read this book and see what these people really went through, you can't help but feel sorry for them. And, just as an update, nobody still has been charged or prosecuted for this crime, and the small town of Skidmore still holds the secret to this day, although most authorities (and the entire town) know what actually happened.