Boy, it's good to see a film one really likes that is just about unknown.....and read other reviewers who share your high opinion of that movie.

That's the case here in this simple revenge tale. My attraction to this film, outside of the interesting story, is the acting performance of William Devane, who plays the lead character. Seldom have I seen such a fascinating character.

Devane's character, "Major Charles Rane," had some interesting things to say BUT his silence was downright fascinating. Just the looks on his face and the absolute silence when his wife tells him she had been fooling around in his absence (when he had been suffering as POW, no less!) or when the robbers are giving him a horrible, sadistic beating. With the exception of one, maybe two outbursts, his language was surprisingly civil, too.

The movie had what I call "that gritty '70s look" to it but was well-filmed and probably would look very good on DVD. (We are still waiting for that to happen.) There were some solid closeup and shadow shots which added nicely to the neo-noir story. The violence is no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point and, with one exception at the end, realistically brutal........ but not overdone. The film starts slowly for the first 10-15 minutes but is a fast ride once the thieves enter the picture.

Co-star Linda Haynes reminded me of Tuesday Weld but not quite as pretty and a tiny bit harder looking. Nonetheless, she was an interesting new face and one I still don't recall ever seeing in any other film. It's also fun to see such a young Tommy Lee Jones.

Revenge movies can be a dime-a-dozen but this has at least one scene I guarantee you will never forget.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs n found it to be boring at times but after revisiting it recently i liked it as the movie has plenty of character development n the story engaging.

In the 80s n 90s, i never used to care bah character development.

While Taxi Driver is top notch, this one too showcases the horror n turnoil war returnees go thru.

After spending seven years as a POW in Hanoi, Major Rane returns home but finds his home very different from the one he left.

Rane realizes that his son does not remember him and his wife admits to him that she has become engaged to another man and has no plans to break it off. Rane stoically accepts this and greeted warmly by the townspeople and he is presented with a red Cadillac and 2,555 silver dollars which attracts the attention of four border outlaws.

The locations are good but the best part is the silent n tough portrayal of the lead character.

The climactic action sequence is filled with lots of bloody shootouts n mayhem.

Vietnam veteran Major Charles Rane (a strong and credible portrayal by William Devane) returns home to San Antonio, Texas after spending seven years in a prisoner of war camp. Rane receives a gift of 100,000 silver coins for every day he spent in captivity. A gang of no-count redneck thugs led by the vicious Texan (a scarily effective James Best) break into Rane's house, torture Rane, murder his wife and son, cut his hand off in the kitchen sink garbage disposal, and leave him for dead. After recuperating in the hospital, Rane goes down to Mexico to exact a harsh revenge on the thugs. He's assisted by tough, world-weary barmaid/war groupie Linda Forchet (splendidly played by Linda Haynes) and his shell-shocked combat buddy Captain John Vohden (an excellent performance by Tommy Lee Jones in an early substantial role). Deftly directed in a commendably streamlined and economical style by John Flynn, with dark, yet sharp cinematography by Jordan Cronenweth, a hard, mean, flinty no-nonsense tone, a spare, shuddery score by Barry De Vorzon, occasional outbursts of raw, savage violence, a compact, incisive script by Paul Schrader and Heywood Gould, a potent and provocative central message about how the brutality of war transforms men into stoic and unfeeling automatons, and a rousing conclusion, this exceptional revenge action thriller packs one hell of a sinewy and lingering sucker punch right to the gut. Fine supporting turns by Lisa Richards as Rane's faithless wife Janet, Luke Askew as Texan's nasty partner Automatic Slim, Dabney Coleman as wannabe helpful army psychiatrist Maxwell, and Cassie Yates as brassy prostitute Candy. An absolute powerhouse.