Having spent more than six years in a POW camp, a Vietnam War veteran finds adjusting to life back home challenging in this dramatic thriller co-written by Paul Schrader and starring William Devane. The film gets off to a strong start with Devane remaining cold and near emotionless to the very worst of news, having learnt to bottle up his emotions as a way of surviving the POW camp. In a memorable scene, he even tries to get someone to torture him like the Viet Cong tortured him, confessing that he has come to love the pain and rely on it. There is also a touching angle with Devane feeling a stranger around his preteen son who does not even remember him. This dramatic crux soon takes a backseat though as thugs break into his house, intending to rob him. While this leads to an extremely intense scene in which Devane does not even cave into the worst possible torture since he has learnt not to, the subsequent movie is never quite as interesting as it focuses on Devane's attempts to track down the thugs after they kill his family and then leave him for dead. The Vietnam War parable that results is fairly decent, with the thugs representing the whole Viet Cong who likewise caused him great pain over the years, however, his war veteran history is soon forgotten with the film too often feeling a 'Death Wish' variant. The final shoot-out is also arguably too brief (lasting less than five minutes) to truly feel cathartic, and yet Devane is mesmerising enough that the film is enticing from start to finish. It is hard to think of a more substantial film role that he has had.

Paul Schrader has cooked up another treat for us in this low profile film, that deserves much more attention, believe you me. Devane, a vet, returns after spending 8 years in a POW camp, which a couple of scenes in black and white flashback of him being tortured, are truly and memorably powerful. Everything back home has become a bummer for him. His wife is looking to re marry a town cop, and take his son. He can't sleep, and of course he's having bad dreams, but hell is about to come raining down on him very quick. His wife and son are shot, and he's deprived of one of his arms, when these thugs invade his home, on account of all these silver dollars he's been awarded, a dollar per day he spent, rotting in that stinking camp, and when they ask ever so nicely to the locale of the coins, he stubbornly and silently resists. I couldn't believe, after seeing it a couple of times, that surging killer hot water, could melt the arm and take it off. He survives, where for revenge fans, this becomes golden to the grand and explosive shootout end. Tagging along with much younger groupie (Haynes) he heads to Mexico to wreak a bloody revenge on that murderous party, who actually have the balls to think, his ruin will just blow over. Devane, has a new advantage, his prosthetic new hand. One scene has his claw hand grabbing Askew's nuts, where you too really feel it. The casting is great and interesting, especially regarding the baddies, James 'Dukes Of Hazzard' Best, and Luke Askew, who really brings some nastily polished au natural characters to the screen. They are so good, particularly Best, I couldn't believe it, Askew, an ugly version of Peter Fonda. They are just two, among many other solid and great performances. Every actor delivers RT is very violent too, where if you like a good quality revenge flick, with heavy doses of violence, you will love this, although it moves at an unhurried pace, but this movie will rope you in, and when revenge time comes, you'll be howling with cheer. Great title song, (the first couple of images of film you won't forget) where there's a lot of a country feel to this probably almost forgotten flick, you should put on your definitely must see list. Devane is the man too, not overacting at all, it's beautiful. This is his movie, and if a Devane fan, this is the one to see him. The man to man talk with the new hubby in the shed, earlier in the flick, will raise some small giggles, but also some edginess. Tommy Lee Jones looks very young too, as Devane's nervous vet mate, (the range of scarred emotions he brings, was amazing). Here's a guy who has truly been effected by the war. He assists him in that hotel showdown in the finale, which is one great part of this flick among others. Love it.

Besides being listed by Tarantino as one of his favorites, I didn't know a lot about this movie before seeing it. Heck, I didn't even know Tommy Lee Jones had a role in it, but I'm glad he did, because it was actually one of the movie's few delights. You see, the 95 minutes spent watching this movie were some pretty wasted ones.Despite that harsh verdict, I don't think this movie's a terrible one. It's just irrelevant. Everything in it has been done so much better in similarly themed movies, both since and before.Rambo did the action far better. The sleazy grindhouse movies did the gore better (or at least they had a lot more of it). First-class films like Taxi Driver and Deer Hunter did the drama and story about the misfit 'Nam veteran way better. Actually, these first-class films also did the action better. And Rambo did the drama better than Rolling Thunder as well. Not to mention all these movies were a lot better entertainment and interesting pieces of cinema history. This film doesn't deliver anything unique besides mish-mashing shoot-outs, gore and story into a single unremarkable and forgettable movie.This could all be forgiven if it had the charm of a zero-budget exploitation film, but it doesn't even come close, being a far too professionally made film to ever be so bad it's good. It's just so bad it's boring.

A masterpiece.The movie revolves around two returning war vets from Vietnam.The main character comes back to his hometown and family and is subjected to a lot of events but he remains in the center with a silent numb removed dark aura and stays silent most of the time.After being tortured during his time as prisoner of war he lost the connection to it all and regards himself as dead. The silence is in some movies better then music and this is one of them.The only thing he holds dear is his son. During a home invasion to rob him he loses his family.That doesn't really spoil the movie though because its so much more to the film.it has violence but its not what drives the movie its just a ripple from the center of this dark tale and it reaches into the void of someone who has sunk under the ice and don't longer remembers what being human is no matter if its love sex or pain or money.The only modern movie that i can say it might be somewhat in the same category is the the hunted where we also find mr tommy lee jones acting.If you like 60s and 70s movies and sick of cheapo matic flying ninjas i truly really recommend this movie you wont regret it.