Hunt the Man Down

When the story begins, an armed robber breaks into a cafe and the guy tries to shoot a guy who is working there as he steals the money. However, the worker manages to overpower the robber and shoots him in the process. Now you'd think he'd become a big hero. Instead, the police see the newspaper clipping showing a photo of the hero...and he's recognized as a man who vanished 12 years ago after he was convicted of murder but before he could be sentenced.

The public defender (Gig Young) believes the reluctant hero and decides to investigate the case himself*. Soon, he's able to track down a few of the witnesses but then something weird happens....folks try to kill the public defender and his father! And, they also try to kill one of the witnesses. Obviously somebody doesn't want anyone looking into this old case!

While "Hunt the Man Down" is clearly a B-movie due to its short run-time and cast of mostly 2nd and 3rd tier actors, it's a terrific film. Well acted, tense and a nice script more than make up for the cheap production. Well worth seeing.

*I have no idea IF defense attorneys EVER do this. They do it in films and on TV but I also know that they are generally overworked and overwhelmed and assume they literally don't have enough time to investigate anything.