Chiefs is an outstanding mini-series and if I had to take only one mini-series with me to a desert island, then Chiefs would be it.On the face of it, it's about three generations of police chiefs in a town in the American south, but there's the undercurrent of a serial murderer on the loose. The first police chief, played by Wayne (M*A*S*H) Rodgers comes close to making an arrest. The second police chief Sonny Butts is incredibly malevolent and is the embodiment of police corruption, and he gets no sympathy at all, and you want to see him fall big time. But...and this is where things get tense...after Sonny is disgraced by his conduct, he then comes so close to arresting the serial killer that has eluded capture for many years. I can imagine viewers were left wondering...if Sonny had arrested the serial killer then he would be sheriff for life and cause and make life unbearable for the citizens. Anyway, the serial killer manages to finish off the sheriff before viewers are asked to consider this.

It's been a long time since I've seen this mini-series, but I recorded all three episodes on VHS back in the 80's (I think my mom may still have it). After finally reading Stuart Woods' original novel, it just took me back to how great the teleplay was (it was THAT faithful)!It's a tale about murder, for sure. But it's a tale about the South specifically. Race relations, politics and family. It's gripping, suspenseful and even important. All the performances are uniformly excellent. Charlton Heston, Wayne Rogers, Billy Dee Williams, Keith Carradine, Tess Harper, Paul Sorvino, Lane Smith, Victoria Tennant, Stephen Collins and Danny Glover are just some of the major performances noteworthy. There's a nice bunch of southern actors mixed in with the (inevitable) few non-southern ones. If one actor is to be singled out for their performances, it's Brad Davis. His brooding, explosive performance as the bullying racist Sonny Butts reminds one of the intensity of a young Jack Nicholson or Marlon Brando. I hear the heavily edited 200 minute version of CHIEFS has cut a lot of the Brad Davis chapter. Too bad!Which brings me to the DVD release. WHERE IS IT? Seriously, considering all the TV movies that have been released on disc over the years, it's time for CHIEFS to get what it deserves: A handsome DVD release, digitally remastered in a multi-disc box set. Completely uncut. Is this too much to ask?

This was one of the best mini series I have seen. The plot was well written, and had a great cast. Charlton Heston was outstanding as Hugh Holmes, the man behind the town of Delano. It is a small southern town in need of a police chief. the mini series is in three parts, covering three generations. The first part is 1924. A meeting is held, and there are only two candidates for the job. One is a well known farmer, Will Henry Lee. The other is a World War I veteran named Foxy Funderburke. Foxy is breeding dogs, but a lot of people in the town think he is strange. Will Henry Lee is a fair man, and well liked. He has to deal with a county sheriff named Skeeter Willis. Willis is very bigoted, and has the backing of the Ku Klux Klan. Will Henry investigates a death, and leads him to begin an investigation of disappearing young men. As is turns out, they are being murdered by Foxy. Will Henry dies after being shot by a man that has malaria. The man mistakenly shoots Will Henry, and sends his son away before being executed for his crime. The second part takes place in 1945. Many of the towns soldiers are returning after the war, including a very bigoted Sonny Butts, who becomes police chief. He is involved in the beating of a returning veteran named Marshall Peters. Peters was set up in business by Hugh Holmes, and befriended by Will Henry Lee's son, Billy. Butts happens upon the investigation that Will Henry Lee began 20 years before, and goes to visit Foxy. Foxy kills Sonny, and buries him and his motorcycle. The third part takes place in 1962, and Delano is again in need of a police chief. Billy Lee is running for governor, and suggests a retiring army officer named Tyler Watts be given consideration for the job. Watts gets the job, and it is revealed that he is the son of the man that shot and killed Will Henry Lee almost 40 years before. Again young men are disappearing, and Tyler Watts begins an investigation of his own. He runs into trouble when he wants to search Foxy's property, but eventually does get permission to search the property. One of the agents there trips over what he thinks is a pipe, but it turns out it is the handlebar of Sonny's motorcycle buried almost 20 years before! Foxy gets his rifle and shoots Tyler, and then is shot by agents. More than 40 bodies are unearthed on his property. Billy, Tyler, and Hugh are saddened by what they have found out. In the end, Billy is elected governor, and Tyler reveals his true identity to Billy by recalling a conversation they had almost 40 years before. Billy is brought to tears as he realizes it is his long lost friend.

If you like movies about dusty, small southern towns that are hiding a crime/mystery/secret, then this one's for you! It has all of the elements to keep you watching. Centered around the police chiefs of the town and serial killer, over a long period of time. Psssst....The men who play the police chiefs are all great actors.