Big city lawyer, Jennifer O'Neill, returns to small hometown for her father's funeral. Good friend and judge, Richard Farnsworth, convinces her to stay on as a public defender. Complications ensue when the judge is murdered, and O'Neill is appointed the suspect's defender. Meanwhile, corrupt deputy sheriff, Michael Parks, is stirring up vigilante locals for their own brand of justice. The acting by O'Neill, Parks, and especially Farnsworth elevates "Chase" to well above average for a TV movie. Eventually this turns into a hunted in the woods affair, with some spectacular scenery. Perhaps a bit rushed to conclusion, but nevertheless a winner. - MERK
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lost-in-limbo25 December 2021What I got, was not what I was expecting with the 'Chase'. A sedate made-for-tv dramatic light-weight thriller that doesn't entirely live up to its title. The supposed 'chase' element only takes up the final 15 mins, where the focus is squarely on small town dramas (mainly involving friction with the vagrant workers) and the lead character Sandy Albright (Jennifer O'Neill) returning to her rural home town after the passing of her father. There she also catches up with her mentor, Judge Pettitt (Richard Fransworth). Who helps light a fire in her when he questions if she still enjoys her job, now working for a successful law company in the city. So she decides to stay on for awhile, but finds herself in a heart-aching predicament when she is faced with the agonising task of having to defend her beloved mentor's alleged killer - a migrant worker.
A good cast do a lot of the heavy lifting here. O'Neil and Fransworth provided strong hearty performances, and were very committed to delivering what the character driven script asked. While Michael Parks was effortlessly convincing in the role of the corrupt sheriff deputy. The plot slowly builds upon the characters, especially Sandy's mindset. So expect the usual back and forth banter, between her and the townsfolk which is obviously the groundwork set for when the plot-turning situation unfolds.
Where I think it could've broken out of its vanilla set-up. Was the handling of the accused killer's guilt. But with had gone before it, shouldn't surprise in what direction the story goes when it hits the high-stakes of its final act. The impact is lessened when the reveal of her client's guilt is discovered. We the audience find out before O'Neil's character. Being a TV movie, the script takes the easy option, therefore removing any complexity to the uncomfortable situation of her finding herself risking her 'own' life to get her client a fair trail against a lynching posse. It's a weak, and trite pay-off to what could've been a sticky conundrum.