THE CHASE: Brando, Bubber and a Bunch of Bad Behavior

THE CHASE (Blu-ray)

1966 / 133 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Mr. Paws😼

Watching 1966’s The Chase for the first time, I couldn’t help but draw some comparisons to a more recent exercise in excess, Babylon. Both feature huge ensemble casts of famous faces playing a variety of morally questionable (and largely unlikable) characters. Both dedicate good chunks of their running times to these folks engaging in bad behavior. Both briefly (and superficially) address themes of racism. And finally, there’s a trainwreck quality to both that’s often morbidly fascinating.

I guess the biggest difference - besides hailing from different eras - is that Babylon is deliberately over-the-top, whereas the melodramatic campiness of The Chase appears largely unintentional. One gets the impression that everyone involved with the film took it far more seriously than the viewer is likely to. As such, there’s some great fun to be had, even if the thing eventually wears out its welcome. 

And unlike Babylon’s episodic narrative, The Chase has an actual plot on which to hang its scenes of adultery, drunkenness, back-stabbing and mob behavior. Lifelong loser Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) escapes from prison and heads back toward his hometown of Tarl County, Texas, one of those places where everybody knows everybody. Word quickly spreads that not only did Bubber escape, he’s wanted for murdering someone along the way (which was actually committed by his fellow escapee). Sheriff Calder (Brando) and Bubber’s cheating wife, Anna (Jane Fonda), seem to be the only ones convinced of his innocence, while the rest of the town apparently can’t wait to get their hands on him. 

Brando suddenly realizes he never could've been a contender.

Meanwhile, The Chase is rife with soap opera subplots, most of which involve either wanton infidelity or the dichotomy between privileged (and nasty) rich folks and the marginalized working class (including the racial minorities in town). Largely taking place during a single day, the rich get increasingly shitfaced before taking the law into their own hands, while Calder faces abuse and accusations of ignoring his duties. For a while, a lot of this is quite entertaining, if sometimes at the film’s expense. The numerous drunken party scenes, for example, are pretty amusing, as is the fact that no one appears to be concerned about the consequences of behavior that would realistically land them in jail. 

But eventually, spending so much time with such self-absorbed, unlikable characters gets on our nerves, especially once we begin to suspect not all of them are likely to be held accountable for their actions. Without getting into specifics that might be considered spoilers, there is no character growth of any kind. Like Tony Montana in Scarface, characters established as horrible at the start of the story are just as horrible at the end. Though Bubber is portrayed as somewhat likable, only Calder and his wife, Ruby (Angie Dickinson), generate any real sympathy (though we do feel kinda sorry for bank manager Edwin Stewart, played by Robert Duvall).

Still, I can’t honestly say The Chase is dull (though it is a little overlong). Its superficial attempt at seriousness is often very entertaining. And say what you will about the film’s goofier aspects, it’s got one hell of a cast, many of whom were on the verge of superstardom at the time. And while some of them are guilty of laying it on a little thick, there’s no denying their dedication to their roles.