The California Kid

"The California Kid" is the 200th installment of "The ABC Movie of the Week" and as such you would have thought that they would have shown one of their very best movies. Instead, it was a film with a few exciting moments...and a lot of padding. In essence, the film could have been condensed to half an hour!

The story begins with Michael McCord (Martin Sheen) going through a crappy little town near the state line. The cops here lie in wait and the town is just a gigantic speed trap. But with one cop (Vic Morrow) it's more. He LIKES it when a speeder tries to outrun him and cross the state line...as he gives chase and runs them off the road to their death. He gets off on doing this. But despite ticketing McCord, McCord doesn't even try going full bore towards the state line...until the sadistic cop kills once again.

This DOES sound exciting, doesn't it. Well, it isn't. The pace is the problem...it's just too slow, too padded and never really delivers.

I was about thirteen when this movie came out on television. It is far superior in action than most movies since. Martin Sheen is excellent, and though Nick Nolte has a small part, he too provides excellent support. Vic Morrow as the villain is superb.

When Sheen "tests the water" in his '34 Ford (COOL) along the mountainous highway it is spectacular!

The ending is grand.

I'm disappointed in the low vote this received. I figure the younger generations have more interest in much of the junk that is coming out these days.

Good taste eludes the masses!

The executive producer Paul Mason was very fortunate to have acquired such a talented group of actors for this made for TV movie back in 1974. You won't get any better than Nick Nolte, Martin Sheen and Vic Morrow joining forces in this low budget movie. I quite enjoyed the drama and the action that The California Kid presented using the small town of Clarksberg as the back drop for the movie in 1958.

The Sheriff Roy Childress is played by Vic Morrow whose salary is drawn by how much the judge can fine the unsuspecting visitors who go over the posted speed limit even by 5 miles per hour. And if the speedsters try and avoid capture, well Vic Morrow just runs them off the cliff as they attempt to allude capture and make the state border.

A lot of the interaction takes place at the local town restaurant where the waitress Maggie played by Michelle Phillips serves the best hot coffee in town. Then one day a hot rodder named Michael McCord played by Martin Sheen comes driving in to town. We soon find out that Mr. McCord is not in town by accident, but seeking answers as to how is brother died falling over a cliff outside of town while driving with a friend.

Martin Sheen is such a super star that he can take a basic script and elevate the movie from a 2 star to a 4 star rating by himself. Adding to the star quality you have Nick Nolte as the local mechanic Buzz Stafford whose younger brother also recently died at the hands of the mean Sheriff Roy Childress.

The movie will keep you wishing for revenge for the young murder victims and that Sheriff Roy Childress will get his comeuppance. The late model 1950's circa cars ridden by Sheriff Roy and by Michael McCord are awesome to look at and watch during the speed racing scenes.

The epilogue leaves the fans with the feeling that justice has been served. How? Well you will just have to watch the movie for yourself. You won't be disappointed in this 1970's made for TV movie. Keep in mind that both Nick Nolte and Martin Sheen went on to the big screen and starred in some of the biggest box office movies over the next three decades. We were lucky to have them both on our television sets starring in The California Kid.

Speed traps, they can be a pain. But for a sheriff in a California town, it can be lethal. Getting a ticket is bad enough, but what this lawman does, it's even worse. 1958, Clarksburg, California, there's a curve known for high speed traps. And if you're not careful, you will get popped. That's what happened to some Navy men one day. But rather than getting pulled over, they get run off the cliff by the sheriff. In comes a stranger in a 1934 Ford coupe hot rod who would later challenge the sheriff. It turned out that the stranger is the brother of the Navy sailor killed in the accident. And speaking of accidents, the sheriff lost his family in one which made him totally unhinged. The sheriff really crossed the line when he chased the brother of the town mechanic and ran him off the road. Now with two angry brothers, it's time for the ultimate showdown. After spending time adjusting his car to that curve, he really puts it to the test. As for that sheriff, just say justice has been served. Martin Sheen plays it cool, Michelle Phillips shined on as the café worker. And Vic Morrow did well as the "bully with the badge". A very cool TV movie there!

Prior to THE CALIFORNIA KID, the only work I had seen from Director Richard Heffron was the ST LOUIS BANK ROBBERY, which I found less than impressive.

Although of a completely different context, I found THE CALIFORNIA KID a far better film. Very tight script, focusing expressly on the actions of a backwater town sheriff who lost his wife and child to a hit and run driver, and proceeds to wreak revenge on all those he spots speeding through town and around a bend that has claimed some seven lives in the recent past.

There is also a suggestion of official corruption by the town mayor, who wants to keep the system going to not pay taxes.

Martin Sheen plays McCord, arriving in town in a souped up classic car with CALIFORNIA KID printed on the painted flames.

Vic Morrow plays the vindictive sheriff with a professional approach to duty, and he wastes no time giving McCord a ticket for doing 38 miles/hour in a 35 miles/hour zone.

Inevitably, McCord is less than pleased and ever more determined to learn more about his brother's demise in one of the aforesaid fatal bend accidents, and finds evidence that his car may have been pushed out of the road from behind.

He also wastes no time establishing that the sheriff's car has big metal bars on his front bumper that might well be used to push cars off the road.

A very young Nick Nolte plays a local mechanic who gets paid for towing vehicles involved in accidents.

Good production values, strong script and cinematography, make this a top notch TV film.

One detail I did not understand: why McCord did not want to leave his boot prints on the sand by the point where his brother's car flew off the road.

I also found the death of Nolte's brother a bit contrived, but it does not damage the film.

Well worth watching. 7/10.