L'affrontement

"Going Home" explores a potentially interesting premise: a child who witnessed his mother's murder at the hands of his father grows up and confronts his parolee father. Where this movie fails is in its execution, which becomes progressively more confused and convoluted often leaving the viewer unsure as to where a scene is actually taking place. Frustratingly, most of the lead characters, especially Jimmy, come across as erratic. Their behavior at times seems entirely unrealistic and whatever motivations they might have are never really explored.

About the only thing that saves this movie from a lower rating is Mitchum's characteristically strong performance considering the confused story and direction he has to contend with.

It was made in seventies, early seventies, and that explains the way it was directed, played and written. Two decades later, it would have been different. Anyway, that did not interfere with the pleasure I had to spend time watching it. Robert Mitchum gives the portrait of an ambivalent character, a bit disturbing, in the father character, and not the ordinary father, not the good family man whom you could expect in a normal family. He killed his wife and years later his grown up son goes to find his father and get some explanation, talk to him...That's precisely at this point that the story comes interesting, gripping. An underrated film, I guess.

I'm a big fan of Robert Mitchum and also of Jan-Michael Vincent, but I was disappointed with this father/son drama. The film has an interesting set-up, with Vincent reaching out to his recently paroled father, who had been put away for killing his wife, Vincent's mother, many years before. What doesn't work as well is that Vincent is such an unpleasant character and in terms of narrative seems like he should be the character the audience needs to want to follow and identify with. Mitchum is excellent as the father who is happy to help his son and to reconcile, but who avoids pushing himself on his son given his past actions. Vincent is an underrated actor, but this character is so damaged and hurtful that it makes the film an unpleasant experience. And it's not that I can't appreciate or enjoy challenging familial dramas, but they at least need to interesting characters or solid narrative, both of which this film lacked. Overall, this film was only made watchable thanks to a nuanced performance by Mitchum. Brenda Vaccaro, Sally Kirkland, and Josh Mostel appear in supporting roles and an uncredited Audrey Landers appears as a teenage Arby's customer.

Awkwardly directed throughout, with crappy TV music, this movie's clumsy editing brings down a wonderfully nuanced performance from Robert Mitchum. In fact, some of the acting by all the actors is solid but undermined by a lifeless atmosphere, almost stagey at times.

Going Home is a pretty upsetting movie, so I caution only those who can handle it to rent it. I thought it was going to be one of those "ex-con makes good" stories, but it wasn't at all. Robert Mitchum does start the movie getting out of prison, and he does try for a fresh start in life, but there's a lot more to the story. His teenage son, Jan-Michael Vincent, has a whole mass of problems because of what Bob did. We never learn why, or even if he did it, but he went to prison for murdering his wife. As a little boy, Jan-Michael witnessed the tail end of the crime. Understandably, he doesn't want anything to do with his father upon his release.

Except, he does. He tracks his dad down to the trailer park where he's living and tries to get to know him as an adult. Full of angst and feelings he doesn't even understand, Jan-Michael is an absolute mess. Bob tries to be friendly, but he knows they can't have a normal relationship. Bob's girlfriend, Brenda Vaccaro, also tries to be friendly. She's closer to the son's age than the father's, and since she doesn't know or understand the whole story, she thinks a few family dinners will mend everything. Unfortunately, she learns the terrible lesson that no good deed goes unpunished. I really like her performance in this movie. I believed her at every moment, from blending into her trailer park surroundings, to trying to make a go of a relationship with a broken man because she knows they're on the same level, and finally, fear and disbelief when Jan-Michael shows his true colors.

This story is so interesting because obviously Bob is the villain in the story, but he doesn't really act like it. Jan-Michael is far meaner, inconsistent, and out for revenge. Bob is merely trying to get by the best he can after fifteen years in prison and forfeiting any relationship with his only child. In fact, I found Jan-Michael so horrible, every time I've seen him in another movie I shrink back behind my pillow and say, "Oh no, the rapist!" Bob does have a chill that washes over his entire performance, which is very effective. He has lived through so much, there just isn't room for regular, raw feelings anymore.

Part of the reason why this movie is so hard to watch is because of the flashbacks. Not only do we have to watch the murder over and over, but we see some very touching flashbacks of their relationship before Bob went to prison. It's sad to see him in a different stage in his life, contrasted with the way he is at the present timeline. If you can handle this extremely dark, adult movie, you'll see some very good acting and a realistic storyline.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence and an upsetting scene involving a child, I wouldn't let my kids watch it. Also, there may or may not be a rape scene.