The Chase

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Han G Jan 21, 2019 Miscast, overwrought, laughable melodramatic garbage. Brando mumbles his way through his unlikely role as a redneck sheriff, Redford endures harrowing misadventures as an escaped con on the run without mussing a hair, Jane Fonda plays herself. This pretentious trainwreck vies to cross Tennessee Williams with Edward Albee but the whole is significantly less than the sum of its parts. I hate this preposterous twaddle. Utter waste of time. There is nothing to latch on to here. An object lesson in how not to make a film. The cars and dresses are far more engaging than the stilted performances, leaden directing, and tell-don't-show script. Is there a worse movie? How does one judge terribleness? I think the truly awful is what happens when copious resources are completely squandered. Yes, there is low-budget trash that might be less watchable than this, but there's a peculiar feeling of loss and betrayal that happens when people given every possible advantage totally blow it. A shining testament to the crappiest and most self-indulgent excesses of 1960s "auteur" cinema. I want my time and money back, please. See more

Hagrid W Jul 14, 2018 A quite pessimistic view on the American society of the Vietnam war era; this movie is like history of the US in the 60' and 70's in the a nutshell with all its various kinds of revolutions, society's obsession with violence, collapsing of traditions on which the real America was founded and prospered. It's a very sad look on how it all started when the post-WW2 generation came into action. And I think Marlon Brando's work in this movie is quite underappreciated. See more

Ron S Feb 18, 2018 This movie is pure trash, but not in a good way. A pretentious stab at marrying the alcoholic Southern gothic of Tennesse Williams with the liberationist topicality of Edward Albee gets mired in egregious miscasting, ham acting, and leaden directing. There *might* be worse movies, but I can't think of another that falls further short of its potential (budget, cast, script). Stay away. See more

Poe S Mar 15, 2017 An under-appreciated work that takes a hard look at society (and is not happy with what it sees) as we visit a small Southern town as it reacts to the news of a recent prison break by one of its scions. There are only a few decent people to be found and their decency is in constant jeopardy from the rest of the residents, awash in their own filth and only desiring to share only that. Must see (if it is only to see Brando gloriously working the Method). See more

Luke S Jan 8, 2017 From my experience, filmmaking is a collaborative art. What you see on the screen is the work of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people working in tandem to create a single piece of storytelling. At least for Hollywood, the ultimate goal may be filling coffers, but to that end, everyone wants their movie to attract a crowd. It’s funny that even with that narrow goal in mind, some movies can still fall so flat. In the case of Sam Spiegel’s “The Chase,” the fault mainly lies with one person--Sam Spiegel himself. Built-up on the overwhelming success of previous works like “On the Waterfront,” “Bridge on the River Kwai,” and “Lawrence of Arabia” (all of which handed Spiegel Best Picture Oscars), he set out to make this film thinking he could do no wrong. He wanted to make a huge blockbuster that would appeal to everyone and capitalize on the rapidly changing social climate of the 60’s. Those are noble enough goals for someone with his prestige, but what happened next is a case of ambition gone awry. He hired a cash crop of talent from esteemed playwright Lillian Hellman penning the script, to a cast that boasted Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Duvall, and a young Robert Redford. But instead of letting these creative minds do their job, he micromanaged every aspect of production, making so many daily additions and changes, that he soon ostracized his writer, director, and cast. The results of this meddling are on clear display in the film. In attempting to make it all things to all people, a simple story of a sheriff (Brando) hunting down an escaped convict (Redford) gets bloated, distorted, and eventually sinks under its own weight. It feels like a soap opera retelling of “High Noon.” Every character has their own side story and life-changing arc, often unrelated to the main plot at all. It shifts in tone as often as it changes storylines, going from melodramatic family tragedy, to scathing indictment of youth culture, to harrowing action beat-em-up. It becomes a two and a half hour slog, only engaging as long as Brando steps on set to whip the townsfolk with cutting one-liners. He and Redford are the lone players in this mess who command attention, and Brando seems like he doesn’t want to be there to begin with (a note confirmed by my further reading). For a movie called “The Chase,” it can’t seem to cut to it. All-in-all, this is a good example of ego and misplaced ambition sinking what could have been a great film. It just needs the fat trimmed. Unfortunately, it’s a steak that’s more fat than meat. 3.3/10 See more

Hagrid W Feb 14, 2012 Some real good stuff peppered in.

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The Chase

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