This would be your ordinary TV movie of the week thriller had it not been for the altered appearance of the all-American hero Andy Griffith, as far way from Mayberry as he can be even if he lives in a small town. He's a respected citizen who takes young Sam Bottoms out to the desert mountains apparently for some ram hunting, and accidentally kills a friend of theirs who was out there hidden. Going out of his way to get Bottoms to help him hide his "accidental" crime by burying the body, Griffith is soon shooting at Bottoms, ordering him to keep his shirt off in the hot desert sun, and it soon becomes obvious that it is Griffith's intention to have the ultimate hunting experience by hunting Bottoms! When Griffith is accidentally shot, Bottoms drives him back into town where each of them gets to explain their side of the story, and it is very apparent that Griffith is a suave manipulator as he attempts to put his crimes off on Bottoms!
Griffith goes down the same path that Bing Crosby did in the TV movie "Dr. Cook's Garden", altering his appearance so you are not seeing Andy Taylor of his long running situation comedy or the later "Matlock". Griffith is excellent in this role, not overplaying the charm or simplicity of his character, just focusing on his malevolent brilliance and even pointing out characteristics he believes Bottoms to have that are obvious in him. Bottoms does a good job as the young handsome hero, standing up for himself, and yet never panicking when it seems as if he has reached a dead end. The only real dead end is the predictable script that makes this formula TV melodrama that doesn't really hold up among the TV classics.
Griffith goes down the same path that Bing Crosby did in the TV movie "Dr. Cook's Garden", altering his appearance so you are not seeing Andy Taylor of his long running situation comedy or the later "Matlock". Griffith is excellent in this role, not overplaying the charm or simplicity of his character, just focusing on his malevolent brilliance and even pointing out characteristics he believes Bottoms to have that are obvious in him. Bottoms does a good job as the young handsome hero, standing up for himself, and yet never panicking when it seems as if he has reached a dead end. The only real dead end is the predictable script that makes this formula TV melodrama that doesn't really hold up among the TV classics.