Review by HotToastyRag

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.