Actors some times choose a project based upon how they view their part, not the quality of the script, and in the case of this TV movie, Tommy Lee Jones must have done just that. An actor of incredible talent, he is commanding as always, but unfortunately here, he's defeated by a rather angry theme and the anti-government plotline that is a dull ripoff of the recent trends of country themed dramas that seemed trite after so many of them were filmed. Cliched characters and archetypes here are simply far too black or white, with government officials complete bullies trying to legally steal Jones' property.
A preface showing Jones fighting in Vietnam is supposed to make him an instant hero and the return to civilian life just occurs so fast where in minutes he's facing the government seizure of his property which only serves to try to manipulate the audience as the government does the same to the courts. There is nothing pleasant about the film other than Jones' performance, and after a while even he can't rise above the flaws of the story.
Dee Wallace as the wife is the stereotypical strong matriarch, but she's nowhere close to the powerhouse women played in big screen films of this nature by Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange and especially Sally Field. The cuteness of their children is annoying, not endearing, and is additional proof of the script's attempt to manipulate. The photography is rather strange with uncomfortable montages and bizarre angles. It is complete overkill on social issues that tries too hard to force the audience to believe what it is saying, but fortunately the audience isn't as gullible as the writers believe them to be.
A preface showing Jones fighting in Vietnam is supposed to make him an instant hero and the return to civilian life just occurs so fast where in minutes he's facing the government seizure of his property which only serves to try to manipulate the audience as the government does the same to the courts. There is nothing pleasant about the film other than Jones' performance, and after a while even he can't rise above the flaws of the story.
Dee Wallace as the wife is the stereotypical strong matriarch, but she's nowhere close to the powerhouse women played in big screen films of this nature by Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange and especially Sally Field. The cuteness of their children is annoying, not endearing, and is additional proof of the script's attempt to manipulate. The photography is rather strange with uncomfortable montages and bizarre angles. It is complete overkill on social issues that tries too hard to force the audience to believe what it is saying, but fortunately the audience isn't as gullible as the writers believe them to be.