In a small town in Tarl County, Texas, where banker Val Rogers wields a great deal of influence, word comes that native son Bubber Reeves and another man have escaped from prison. Sheriff Calder, who continues to believe in Bubber's innocence, expects him to return to his hometown, where Bubber's lonely wife Anna is now involved in a romantic affair with Bubber's best friend, Val Rogers' son Jake. Bubber is left on his own after the second fugitive kills a stranger for his car and clothes. The townspeople, conflicted about his guilt or innocence, socialize and drink heavily while awaiting Bubber's return. They include the hostile Emily Stewart, who openly expresses her lust for Damon Fuller in front of her husband, Edwin. As the drinking and quarreling intensify, a group of vigilantes demand action from Calder. When he defies them, they beat Calder brutally before the sheriff's loyal wife Ruby is able to get to his side. Bubber sneaks into town, hiding in an auto junkyard. Anna and Jake willingly set out to help him, and the townspeople follow, turning the event into a drunken revelry and setting the junkyard on fire, causing an explosion which mortally wounds Jake. A bloodied and beaten Calder manages to get to Bubber first but, while he is leading him up the steps into the jail, one of the vigilantes, Archie, shoots Bubber multiple times with a gun hidden in his coat pocket. Sick of the town and its people, Calder and Ruby leave town the next morning.
The film deals with excessive immorality and vice such as themes of racism, sexual revolution, small-town corruption, and vigilantism. The movie is perhaps best known for a scene in which the sheriff played by Marlon Brando is brutally beaten by Richard Bradford, one of the three vigilantes; Brando later cited this scene as an example of Method acting. Paul Williams thought this movie would be his big break but, after working on the film for three months, he was shown on screen for a few moments and had "two lines" in the final film. Faye Dunaway auditioned for the film, but Jane Fonda was cast in the role of Anna Reeves. Following this, Arthur Penn tested Dunaway and cast her for Bonnie and Clyde, his next film.
Reception
On release, the film gained generally positive reviews from critics, but Richard Schickel was dismissive in Life magazine. Pointing out its origins in the Horton Foote play, he wrote: "The Chase is no longer a modest failure... it has been turned into a disaster of awesome proportions". Rotten Tomatoes reports that 80% of critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.5/10. During an interview years after the film was released, Arthur Penn expressed his dissatisfaction with the film: "Everything in that film was a letdown, and I'm sure every director has gone through the same experience at least once. It's a shame because it could have been a great film."
