This stunning twofer is a horror policier spliced onto a case study about survivors guilt.
The suspenseful first half of the film becomes almost impossible to watch as cops Karl Hettridge (John Savage) and Ian Campbell (Ted Danson) are abducted to a Bakersfield, CA, onion field by career thugs Gregory Powell (James Woods) and Jimmy Smith (Franklyn Seales).
The performances here are uniformly strong, with Woods outshining all as the jittery, abusive alpha male in the crime duo. He is scary to watch, uncomfortable to be around, and downright creepy in a prison shower scene.
A theme of unfairness runs throughout as we appreciate the depth and integrity of slain bagpiper cop Campbell, and observe the withering effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Hettridge, who retires to a second career of working the land: "Police work is so noisy; tomatoes are so quiet."
This film offers a chilling reminder of how evil can erupt when we least expect it. "We should check out these two," Campbell fatefully tells his partner...
The suspenseful first half of the film becomes almost impossible to watch as cops Karl Hettridge (John Savage) and Ian Campbell (Ted Danson) are abducted to a Bakersfield, CA, onion field by career thugs Gregory Powell (James Woods) and Jimmy Smith (Franklyn Seales).
The performances here are uniformly strong, with Woods outshining all as the jittery, abusive alpha male in the crime duo. He is scary to watch, uncomfortable to be around, and downright creepy in a prison shower scene.
A theme of unfairness runs throughout as we appreciate the depth and integrity of slain bagpiper cop Campbell, and observe the withering effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Hettridge, who retires to a second career of working the land: "Police work is so noisy; tomatoes are so quiet."
This film offers a chilling reminder of how evil can erupt when we least expect it. "We should check out these two," Campbell fatefully tells his partner...