The Chase: Arthur Penn

The Chase is one of the most misleading titles that I have ever come across in my cinematic wonderings.  There isn't a chase in the entire film.  Yes, there is a young convict who escapes from prison (played by a dashing Robert Redford before he was famous).  And, yes, a nearby town tries to capture him.  But this film isn't about that pursuit...it's about the town itself.  Arthur Penn's film is an examination of a Southern town in the mid-60s, still mired in the racism and sexism that ruled the area for so long.  More particularly, Penn's film is about what happens when this small town is given an excuse to fly its real colors.  The possibility of an escaped convict (who is later charged with murdering a local) gives the old, bored elite to go around under the pretense of mob justice.  They break into the town jail where they brutally assault the sheriff (played by Marlon Brando in a soft, yet surprisingly effective performance) and interrogate a black prisoner at gunpoint.  The local teens, drunk off youth and dancing, see it all as a big game, rolling into crime scenes and disrupting the investigation.  It all leads to a chilling sequence in a junkyard where the entire town corners the convict.  Their insanity is a powder keg that (literally) explodes, claiming innocent lives in the process.  It's a bit too long for its own good, however.  If it had been about half an hour shorter it might have been remembered as a better film.  But as it stands, The Chase is a great film and a devastating look into a society, and director, in a state of transition.

7/10