Because despite Telly Savalas, Martin Sheen, and Sally Fields being in this, Joe Don Baker is clearly the star. Top Cast arranges him at 6th or 7th billing which is misleading. He is in 70 to 80% of the scenes and plays the title character, Mongo. People just curious to see early Sheen and Fields work might be led to think they do more given the billing and be disappointed. Kojak fans on the other hand might think Telly Savalas was basing that character around this one, Lietenant Tolstedt.
Anyway this is a very cheap looking made for TV movie based on an award winning novel written by a convicted murderer and armed robber, E Richard Johnson. He wrote this book from prison as well as most of his works. The story does have a strange feel to it. The weather is meant to be gray wet, cold with periods of snow turning to dark gray slush on the streets and sidewalk for most of the story. Unfortunately, they seemed to have shot this in sunny California and it is pouring rain under sunny skies right from the start. Not the greatest introduction to a movie no matter what anyone does in the scenes.
It is well acted as you would expect. The story takes some twists and turns but the worst violent scenes are not shown, just the reactions to them are. This is a made for TV movie afterall. A character gets acid thrown in his face, woman and children get murdered etc. It is a strange ending.
Its a fairly ugly story with only a few likable characters. They do manage to make Mongo sympathetic given his circumstances. Overall the movie is more a reflection of TV movies from the era. Fairly slow paced and OK for a couple hours diversion but I wouldnt be so sorry if I never saw it again.
