By Lee Pfeiffer
Released in an obvious attempt to capitalize on Norman Jewison's racially-charged 1967 Oscar winner In the Heat of the Night, MGM's 1969 suspense drama tick...tick...tick... attempts to emulate the smoldering tensions in a small southern town that permeated the earlier film. The MGM release is not on the caliber of the Jewison production but it is a consistently engrossing, well-acted drama that calls to mind just how relatively recently the civil rights battle had to be fought in the American South. By 1969, integration may have been the law of the land, but in fact, there were many places where attempting to implement the law would have been a death sentence. The story takes place in small Southern town where the only thing hotter than the broiling summer temperatures is the barely-concealed rage of the local population. Seems that while the apathy of white voters resulted in them staying home on election day, a black candidate for Sheriff, Jimmy Price (Jim Brown) managed to rally the minority population and pull off an unexpected win. The townspeople blame the previous Sheriff, John Little (George Kennedy) for not campaigning aggressively enough. The tough-as-nails Little is humiliated by his defeat by a black man, but takes solace from his compassionate wife (Lynn Carlin). Meanwhile, Price has plenty of problems of his own. He fully expects to be ridiculed and ignored by the locals and realizes he must quickly assert his ability to carry out the law and win the respect of those who loathe him. He's also trying to be a good father to his young son and a dedicated husband to his nervous, pregnant wife (Janet MacLaclan), who understands the dangers he faces on a daily basis. When Price arrests a well-connected white man, the entire town becomes a tinderbox. Price is threatened by the man's influential brother, who is going to literally invade the town with an army of vigilantes. He's also hated by his one-time friends in the black community because he tries to prevent them from engaging in a race war. Desperately in need of help, Price loses his one deputy to a horrific attack by unknown assailants. He forms an odd relationship with former Sheriff John Little, who reluctantly agrees to serve as his deputy. This sets off a major scandal with both men alienated in their respective communities.
tick...tick...tick remains thoroughly engrossing, thanks to the fine direction of old hand Ralph Nelson and James Lee Barrett's intelligent screenplay. The film also affords Jim Brown a rare opportunity to play a man of substance instead of the cliched action hero he was so often cast as. He delivers a good, understated performance and is more than matched by Kennedy as the sympathetic loser who is desperately trying to regain the respect he once commanded. The film boasts some excellent actors in supporting roles, topped by a frail Fredric March in his next-to-last screen role. As the town's mayor, he may be the product of a bigoted way of life, but he also sees the writing on the wall when it comes to racial equality and adopts some surprisingly progressive stances. This ability to have characters play opposite of their stereotypes helps set the film apart from similarly-themed films of the era. Other notable character actors on board include Don Stroud, Dub Taylor and Clifton James. Bernie Casey is a local trouble maker who locks horns with Brown and the movie affords us the opportunity to see two former football greats going mano-a-mano in a brutal fight. The film builds to a tense conclusion with an upbeat (if not overly optimistic) final scene that manages to be inspiring.
tick...tick...tick is certainly not a classic, but it is well worth viewing and it's release on DVD through the Warner Archive is most welcome.
The DVD contains an original TV spot as a bonus.
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