What starts as a simple prison break turns into an incredibly tense emotional thriller in The Chase. With an all-star cast and a perfectly eerie tone set by director Arthur Penn, you'll be kept on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Robert Redford and his cellmate break out of prison, but when his cellmate kills a man and flees the scene, everyone thinks Robert Redford is the murderer! He tries to make his way back to town to see his wife, but when the town residents get wind of his plan, they all panic. E.G. Marshall, a very important figure, is worried about his son's safety, since he's having an affair with Redford's wife, Jane Fonda. Robert Duvall, whose wife is having an affair with Richard Bradford, is worried because he knows a secret about Redford's crime. Redford's parents, Miriam Hopkins and Malcom Atterbury, feel guilty about not hiring him a lawyer before. Ken Renard knows where he is, and knows he'll get harassed because of it. And finally, Marlon Brando, the sheriff, tries in vain to keep the peace.

Lillian Hellman's script, based on Horton Foote's play, is very well-written, with plenty of characters to root for and against. Marlon Brando's character is by far the most interesting and likable, and even though he isn't usually cast in peace-keeper roles, he's very convincing as he's pulled by all sides and still tries to maintain law and order. This is a pretty heavy movie, so be prepared. There's infidelity, violence, and racial harassment. But if you tend to like dramatic films from the 1960s, rather than the fluffy ones, you'll probably enjoy The Chase.

"The Chase" is a powerful and underrated drama. It has most of the ingredients that are required for a solid dramatic picture: exceptional acting (particularly by Brando),careful directing, well-drawn characters and good production values. The first half meanders a little, but in the second half the tension mounts and the film becomes constantly more and more involving and moving. So why does it have such a low reputation? Maybe because of all those reported production problems. But who cares? They're certainly not evident in the film! Recommended for mature viewers.

One Saturday night, the underlying tensions that had festered for some time in a small town in Texas suddenly erupt into an orgy of violence, lawlessness and mob rule. The trigger for this mayhem is the news that a local man has escaped from prison and is expected to return home to settle a few scores. Many of the issues involved in this story, such as racism, social unrest and the sexual revolution reflect what was going on more broadly in American society in the 1960s and this is emphasized further by the inclusion of a Jack Ruby style killing which is just one of many incidents in which town residents intentionally disrespect or undermine the rule of law and order in their own community.

As the local banker, oil tycoon and cattle baron, the incredibly wealthy Val Rogers (E. G. Marshall) wields enormous power in the town which under his stewardship has seen the establishment of a strict class system, restrictions on the rights of black people and the appointment of a sheriff who people see as being there to do whatever Rogers instructs. Sheriff Calder (Marlon Brando),however, is fiercely independent and very assertive if anyone implies that he's anything less than entirely fair in the ways in which he carries out his duties.

When Calder hears that Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) has escaped from prison, instead of calling in extra assistance and instigating an immediate manhunt, he takes more measured action in the hope that it'll avoid the fugitive (who he believes to be innocent) from being killed by any overzealous vigilantes who might want to dispense their own type of justice. This, however, brings him into conflict with some local people who, for various reasons, are anxious about Bubber's return.

Val Rogers' son Jake (James Fox) was Bubber's best friend. He's very unhappy in a loveless marriage of which his father approves but Jake's also openly involved in an affair with Bubber's wife Anna (Jane Fonda). Val Rogers fears that Bubber will kill Jake if he returns and finds out about the affair and on the night of his birthday party puts pressure on Sheriff Calder to head off any chance of this happening. Calder doesn't change course and also has his integrity questioned by Bubber's mother who fears that, on Rogers' orders, the Sheriff will simply be out to kill her son.

Val Rogers' party is just one of a few that are going on simultaneously and as the revelry involving the town's drunken and openly adulterous population becomes more boisterous, a group of thugs take it on themselves to hunt down Bubber and in the course of doing this, brutally beat up the Sheriff and take the law into their own hands.

With its all-star cast and a setting which acts like a microcosm of 1960s America, "The Chase" has much to commend it but the whole sprawling entity is overlong and lacks the kind of pace which could have given it much more punch and power. Marlon Brando is outstanding in this movie and the scene in which he's beaten up is immensely powerful and memorable.

Ironically, Robert Redford as the fresh-faced, clean-cut looking convict is far less odious than many of the corrupt and depraved townspeople who regard themselves as being on the right side of the law. James Fox, complete with southern accent, does really well in a role that must have been a considerable challenge for him and the contributions of Robert Duvall, Janice Rule and Richard Bradford also stand out. "The Chase", although flawed in some respects, does remain an interesting and well-acted film that's thought-provoking and makes some salient points.