Robert Culp is one of my favorite actors, whether he's a hard-ass (i.e., the Texas Ranger in Trackdown), the suave hero (I Spy) or the smart-ass sidekick (Greatest American Hero). There's also a dark side to Culp, the side where he's pushed and pushed and pushed to the point where he loses it and has to react. That was evident in his classic guest appearances on Columbo, and it's also used to great effect in Outrage.
Based on a true story, Dr. Jim Kiler (Culp) moves into a fancy-schmantzy cul de sac with his family. Almost immediately, the good doctor is nearly run down while jogging with his dog by a gang of reckless teens. Jim files a police report, but nothing comes of it. The teens immediately begin a campaign of retaliation against Kiler and his family. Eventually, he takes his complaints to the town's mayor, which angers the parents of the punk kids, and not long afterward, Kiler does indeed press charges against the kids, one of whom gets a slap on the wrist due to Kiler speaking on his behalf. Throughout all of this, the vandalism gets worse and worse. Eventually, these punks lure the Kilers' lovable sheepdog Oliver into the street with a treat...then brutally run the defenseless animal down!
The moment that finally pushes Kiler to the brink comes after they hire a black housekeeper, a no-nonsense woman played by the great Beah Richards. She REALLY is willing to not take guff from a bunch of punks and turns a hose on them. Not long afterward, a rock is thrown their window, and she is struck and seriously injured. Now Culp is finally pushed to the limit...and it's HIS turn to break windows, flood houses with a hose and end the whole thing with a huge explosion of a hot-rod car. As he's walking away from the explosion back to his home, a disclaimer tells us that no charges were filed against him, nor were there any more incidents of violence.
Culp, as always, delivers a great performance, but he gets a great deal of help from a great supporting cast. Frequent guest star Marlyn Mason shines as Culp's more level-headed wife, who tries to talk some sense into one of the boy's fathers, only to have the lout get in her face (this leads into a memorable scene where Culp punches the guy out. He's played by Mark Lenard, best-known for playing Spock's dad on Star Trek). Beah Richards is great in her usual no-nonsense type role. There are also a number of familiar faces in small roles, such as Ivor Francis, Don Dubbins, Ramon Bieri, Philip Pine and Nicholas Hammond.
Outrage is definitely a classic in the 'vengeance film' genre. I most certainly do recommend seeing this movie.
Based on a true story, Dr. Jim Kiler (Culp) moves into a fancy-schmantzy cul de sac with his family. Almost immediately, the good doctor is nearly run down while jogging with his dog by a gang of reckless teens. Jim files a police report, but nothing comes of it. The teens immediately begin a campaign of retaliation against Kiler and his family. Eventually, he takes his complaints to the town's mayor, which angers the parents of the punk kids, and not long afterward, Kiler does indeed press charges against the kids, one of whom gets a slap on the wrist due to Kiler speaking on his behalf. Throughout all of this, the vandalism gets worse and worse. Eventually, these punks lure the Kilers' lovable sheepdog Oliver into the street with a treat...then brutally run the defenseless animal down!
The moment that finally pushes Kiler to the brink comes after they hire a black housekeeper, a no-nonsense woman played by the great Beah Richards. She REALLY is willing to not take guff from a bunch of punks and turns a hose on them. Not long afterward, a rock is thrown their window, and she is struck and seriously injured. Now Culp is finally pushed to the limit...and it's HIS turn to break windows, flood houses with a hose and end the whole thing with a huge explosion of a hot-rod car. As he's walking away from the explosion back to his home, a disclaimer tells us that no charges were filed against him, nor were there any more incidents of violence.
Culp, as always, delivers a great performance, but he gets a great deal of help from a great supporting cast. Frequent guest star Marlyn Mason shines as Culp's more level-headed wife, who tries to talk some sense into one of the boy's fathers, only to have the lout get in her face (this leads into a memorable scene where Culp punches the guy out. He's played by Mark Lenard, best-known for playing Spock's dad on Star Trek). Beah Richards is great in her usual no-nonsense type role. There are also a number of familiar faces in small roles, such as Ivor Francis, Don Dubbins, Ramon Bieri, Philip Pine and Nicholas Hammond.
Outrage is definitely a classic in the 'vengeance film' genre. I most certainly do recommend seeing this movie.