BY LEE PFEIFFER
In 1969, the American television network ABC launched their "Movie of the-Week" concept. The anthology series proved to be an immediate hit and ran until 1975. The format was to enlist the talents of well-known stars and cast them in 90 minute original productions that were often used to test audience reactions to see if certain telecasts merited being extended to weekly TV series. The costs were minimal-$350,000 per movie, on average- which wasn't a great deal of money even in those days. The series presented a diverse number of genres ranging from comedies to thrillers and horror. Before it finally ran out of steam, the Movie of the Week concept produced at least four TV classics: "The Night Stalker", "Brian's Song", "Trilogy of Terror" and "Duel", the film that was so well-received that it launched Steven Spielberg's entrance into directing theatrical feature films. There were also numerous Westerns made as Movies of the Week including the 1972 production, "The Bounty Man", which has now been released on DVD by Kino Lorber. Clint Walker stars as Kinkaid, a much-feared bounty hunter who is known for ruthlessly pursuing his prey. He's earned the respect of his peers, but some of them also resent him because he inevitably collects the biggest rewards by bringing in the most wanted men dead or alive. When we first see him, he has caught up with two wanted men, one of whom he guns down and the other he delivers to the local sheriff. Upon collecting his bounty, Kinkaid is unmoved to learn the young man is scheduled to be hanged the next morning. He then turns his attention to tracking down bigger game: escaped bandit and murderer Billy Riddle (John Ericson), who has also been sentenced to hang. Kinkaid locates the man in a backwater hellhole of a "town" that is so dangerous it doesn't even have a sheriff. Kinkaid gets the drop on Billy but finds him in the company of his slavishly devoted girlfriend Mae (Margot Kidder) and must bring her along, too, 'lest she round up a gang to rescue Billy.
The briskly-paced film follows the trio as Kinkaid must bring them on a three-day journey back to local authorities. Along the way, Billy pulls out every psychological tool to manipulate Mae into helping him affect an escape- including seducing the bounty hunter. Until this point, we no nothing about Kincaid's background but over a campfire chat, Mae gets him to divulge that his silent and sullen demeanor is due to tragic circumstances that affected his wife and young son. Mae, on the other hand, dismisses Kincaid's warnings that she is nothing but a sexual plaything to Billy and that he will drop her if he escapes instead of marrying her, as he has promised. She explains Billy had rescued her from a life of prostitution and she feels he has earned her trust. In addition to the challenge of keeping his two trail mates under constant watch, Kincaid is also being hunted by a group of murderous bounty hunters who are intent on killing Kincaid and his prisoners and then collecting the reward for turning in Billy's body to the sheriff.
"The Bounty Man" could have been a run-of-the-mill "B" western but it's
elevated in quality due to a smartly written, believable script by Jim
Byrnes and the more-than-competent direction by John Llewelyn Moxey, who had scored a massive ratings hit a couple of years earlier with "The Night Stalker". He milks some genuine suspense leading to a somewhat unexpected ending that avoids the cliches you are waiting for. The performances are all first-rate. Walker, sporting a mustache, has a lean and mean presence. He was generally cast as amiable big lugs but here he exudes a constant sense of menace. Ericson is excellent as the charismatic bad guy and Kidder displays the kind of likable on-screen persona that would lead her to stardom on the big screen. The most startling and impressive performance is by Richard Basehart as the leader of the skanky, almost insanely violent group of bounty hunters who makes their peers in "The Wild Bunch" look like they just stepped out of "Downton Abbey". Basehart usually played sophisticated men of authority but here he is unrecognizable in filthy clothes, stubble on his face and and bottle of booze perpetually carried in his hand.
The Kino Lorber DVD contains a valuable interview with John Llewelyn Moxey filmed shortly before his death earlier this year. He discusses his career in general and has good memories of making "The Bounty Man". The film may have been largely forgotten but Kino Lorber's release will please anyone who enjoys a good Western.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON