Three bank robber killers, including "loose cannon" (Michael J. Pollard), become trapped by roadblocks in the rural countryside. Abandoning their stolen vehicle, they hike to a distant farmhouse. Prepared and waiting is a church going farmer (Ernest Borgnine), his granddaughter, and an oafish farmhand. The three uninvited guests are ambushed by Borgnine, taken prisoner, and routinely tortured. As minutes pass, Borgnine becomes less and less stable, and more and more unhinged, leaving the granddaughter as the only hope for sanity to prevail. Although Borgnine gets to deal out his own brand of justice, it comes at a very high price. - MERK

I saw this movie when it came out in 1974. At this time after Straw Dogs, there was a lot of these revenge movies released such as Death Weekend, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre etc and i thought this was one of the best. At this period of time in America there was a lot of this type of crime going on and i believe that Hollywood were trying to send the message across not to lie down and take it, but stand up and fight. Ernest Borgnine and Michael J Pollard gave fine performances and both may i add have never been given the recognition they deserve as actors. Ernest Borgnine can give a fine performance in a sympathetic role such as Marty and at the same time can give a chilling performance in such films as From Here To Eternity and Emperor Of The North. Michael J Pollard of course in Bonny And Clyde and Hannibal Brooks. The DVD version i have bought is a little disappointing. It looks as if it has been an old video transfered to DVD. Therefor i think it is best to wait awhile before buying this film on DVD. Kevin Thomas.

***SPOILERS*** Pulling off a number of bank robberies that resulted in the deaths of two bank tellers this trio of ruthless gangsters run into two local youths on the side of the road in the open countryside. Needing a different car, with new license plates, the three bank robbers Dineili Ackerman and LeRoy, Louis Zorich Cec Linder & Michael J. Pollard, cold-bloody gun down the driver Timmy Peterson, Ralph Endersby, and his girlfriend Jennifer Logan, Susan Petrie, and then head for the open highway. Finding that all the roads out of Field County are blocked by local and highway police the three take off on foot looking for a place to stay until the heat's off and then make their escape. Seeing this farm in, what seems like, the middle of nowhere the three killers descend on it like a pack of wolves first cutting the phone lines and then pompously walking up to the front door to make their grand and murderous entrance; they didn't know it at the time but they'll find out soon enough that they walked right into the teeth of hell.Disturbing and violent vigilante-like movie that leaves you in a state of shock with Ernest Borgnine as the peaceful and church going farmer Adam Smith. Adam uses his own brand of biblical justice, to avenge the blood of those who these three murderers spilled, that in a way made him far more vicious then his gangster victims. At home with his grand daughter Lucy, Hollis McLaren, Adam spots through the window the killers moving in on his house and, knowing who they are and what they did from radio reports, sets a trap for them. Blasting the #1 man, Dineili, of the trio almost in half with his shotgun as he was allowed by Adam to entered the house Adam takes the other two, Ackerman and LeRoy, prisoner and puts them through such a hell that in the end they wished that the police got to them before Adam did. Even though Adam Smith is well within his rights to defend his home and farm from the three criminal desperadoes what he did to them makes you wonder just who's more of the villain and psychopath in the film him or they. Instead of holding the two remanding bank robbers captive until the police come to take them into custody, like his grand daughter Lucy wanted him to do, Adam put them though the ringer by almost hanging them in his basement, with only their tip toes keeping them for getting strangled. Later Adam has Ackerman run for his truck, to drive back to town and get the police to come over, as he turns his two dogs Peter & Paul on Akerman who tear him to pieces. LeRoy the most vicious of the three who Adam really wanted to do in gets saved by the police, whom Lucy got to come over, but later carjacks the patrol car killing the two officers. It's then when LeRoy comes back to the farm to get even with what Adam did to him that turned out to be the biggest, and last, mistake he was ever to make.Even though Adam Smith is the avenging angel in the movie it's hard to really like him even though he saves everyone, himself his grand daughter Lucy and farm hand Luke (Vladimir Valerta), from the three killers. I just wondered how many people watching the movie would want him as a next door neighbor!

It's pretty obvious that this is a revenge film and it's one of the best of the genre. Not quite as gory as the box would lead you to believe, it's still got nasty wounds. The two main actors have been in about a thousand movies each, so you will be happy to see a couple of familiar faces. Great morbid country music is well placed in the film. It's not the best story ever written, but I could sympathize with most of the characters.