Outrage

This is a very good, made for TV film. It depicts trouble in suburbia circa 1970's and the sort of neighbors one certainly does not want to have around. The worst & most upsetting part of the film was when the punk teenagers killed the family dog. The teens do everything to annoy and harass this poor family. But boy!, does the lead character take vengeance on those punk teenagers in the end. The father/homeowner surely does not take all of the aggravation from the punk teens lightly and is quick to retaliate after lack of help from the police that is. He stands up to them and protects his home and his family. A very good actor..I might add.

I watched this on TV when I was like 8 or 9. I have never seen it again on TV and would like to. Definitely a good one! It's the sort of movie one may catch on a weekday night very late at night and can't stop watching or an afternoon film on a weekend. It's the kind they just don't show anymore.

It is definitely worth seeing!

I remember this story well was very exciting and want my dad to see it but there don't seem to be a video for sale. It's a great movie and I had hoped someone made have taped it and would sell me a copy.The story must have been a television show only but was one of the greatest examples of the rage that can be instilled in a person when several outside forces are against his way of life and no one of authority will help

This made for TV film was remade in 1998. I haven't seen the newer version, so I cannot compare the two.

When the story begins, a group of punk teens are running amok in a nice California neighborhood--pouring loads of garbage into a lady's pool, nearly running over pedestrians, dogs and horses and acting like they are above the law. When one of the folks being menaced by them tries to be constructive and work to have speed bumps and more policing, Jim Kiler (Robert Culp) is attacked by the thugs and they nearly kill him. When the law seem either unable or unwilling to do much of anything, Kiler is backed against the wall and has no other choice but to approach the teens' parents...who don't seem to care in the least. So what is to happen next? Well, considering that the boys go essentially unpunished, you can only assume things will escalate! But Kiler STILL tries very hard to work within the system through much of the movie. Find the film on YouTube and find out for yourself what's next in this family's nightmarish lives.

While the plot might sound quite a bit like "Death Wish", this film came out a year earlier...plus it was set in the suburbs. Additionally, Kiler did NOT react like Bronson did in "Death Wish"-- he didn't go out at night shooting the boys...though considering how awful they were, you certainly wouldn't have blamed his character!

Overall, this is a very well made and exciting film. Culp did a very nice job in the film and it's not just some revenge picture. Plus, it's apparently based on a real case...which adds to the realism. Well worth seeing...and filled with all sorts of funky 70s music!

Outrage (1973)

*** (out of 4)

This made-for-TV gem features Robert Culp playing Jim Kiler, a man who grows tired of the teenage punks wrecking his small town. The police can't do anything because no witnesses step forward but after being ran over, Jim decides to press charges. The trial date is three months ago so the rich teenagers decide to harass Kiler and his family in countless ways, which finally pushes the man over the edge.

OUTRAGE came a year before DEATH WISH so the entire vigilante sub-genre hadn't been beaten to death yet. A movie like this is meant to entertain you for 74 minutes and there's no question that this one does that and there's also no doubt that you're blood is going to be boiling throughout the picture. This was based on a true story but as we all know things are often blown out of proportion or made to look worse than what really happened. I really hope that's true here because it's hard to believe that what we see here actually happened in the way it did because these teenagers and the town had to be without a question some of the dumbest in history.

With such a short running time there's no time for any character development so the reasons behind the teenagers doing this is never explained. I mean, most teens cause a little trouble here and there but what we see in this film is crazy as there's attempted murder, arson, violence towards animals and countless other scenes where they break the law. You have to wonder what they were thinking but as the viewer all of this just makes your blood boil and you hate them even more. The Kiler character is someone you can certainly root for and there's no doubt that he's put up against some great villains.

Culp is certainly entertaining in his role and although he does go over-the-top at times, this here just adds to the entertainment. Marlyn Mason is good as his wife and Beah Richards is great in her small role. The actors playing the punks in the film are all good and help sell their characters. OUTRAGE features a rather wild and over-the-top ending that's not 100% satisfying but there's no question that the movie does its job in keeping you entertained throughout.

This is a great movie from the lost age of reactionary made-for-television drama. My all-time favourite actor, Robert Culp skillfully plots a trajectory through uptight liberal fairmindedness and faith in the system, kneejerk conservativism and fear of crime, and homicidal psychosis. The teens are a collection of pure sneering evil stereotypes, and the eventual message of this film makes episodes of Dragnet look evenhanded by comparison. But what really shines in this is the great pace of the movie, building the fear and paranoia by degrees, as well as the feel of the whole California setting. The cars are really great as well, as I recall. I give this film a 10, and I defy anyone to watch this film and not enjoy every minute. Remember, just because it's made-for-television doesn't mean it isn't great art.