When “Bubber” Reeves escapes from prison, it upsets the folks in the nearby town of Tarl, Texas. Sheriff Calder wants to capture Reeves alive, which puts him in opposition to many of the townspeople who have resorted to mob justice. Businessman Val Rogers wants Calder to apprehend Reeves quickly, through any means, since he fears the criminal will come after Val's son, Jake, who is sleeping with Reeves' wife.

Critic Reviews:

• " The “New Hollywood” of the 1960s and 70s produced a number of withering takes on American institutions, but no filmmaker was as consistently convinced of the venality at the heart of American society as Arthur Penn. " – Daniel Barnes (Dare Daniel)

• " Preceding Bonnie and Clyde by a year, Arthur Penn's small-town drama, flaunting a top-notch cast (Brando, Redford, Jane Fonda) is a quintessential movie pointing to the thematic and tonal direction Hollywood would take in the late 1960s. " – Emanuel Levy (EmanuelLevy.Com)

• " Great stars, great director, muddled message melodrama. " – Carol Cling (Las Vegas Review-Journal)