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Plot

When his brother is murdered, a policeman is caught between his devotion to the law and his family's desire for revenge in this action drama. Patrick Swayze plays Truman Gates, who left his backwoods Appalachian home for life as a Chicago police officer. When his brother is killed by a gangster, Truman is determined to seek legal retribution. His older brother Briar (Liam Neeson) has different ideas, however, and travels to the city to seek old-fashioned vigilante justice. Truman must now choose between his family's belief in mountain justice and the duties of his job. Though the film is not particularly action-packed, director John Irvin does provide the expected gunplay and macho confrontations. However, despite a surprisingly distinguished cast (also including Helen Hunt and Michael J. Pollard), little distinguishes the film from numerous other revenge stories with a similar outline.
MPAA Rating:
Genre(s):
Action,Drama
Run Time:
108min.
Theatrical Release Date:
10/20/1989
DVD Release Date:
10/20/1998
Distributor(s):
Warner Brothers
Director(s):
John Irvin
Starring:
Patrick Swayze , Liam Neeson , Adam Baldwin , Helen Hunt , Andreas Katsulas
Themes:
Vigilantes,Crisis of Conscience
Tone:
Angry,Confrontational,Rousing,Tense,Visceral,Deliberate,Talky
Keywords:
backwoods,brother,death,family,gangster,hillbilly,justice,killing,murder,organized-crime,police,revenge,urban
Country of Origin:
USA (10-20-1989)
Language:
English