

The escape of Bubber Reeves from prison affects the inhabitants of a small Southern town.
Acting
Brando's exhausted sheriff is a masterclass in restraint.
Direction
Penn turns a party into a claustrophobic horror sequence.
Writing
Lillian Hellman's script simmers with barely contained contempt.

Director
Arthur Penn
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released the same year as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, this was part of 1966's wave of films exposing the rot beneath American respectability.
Studio executives hated Penn's cut so much they released it butchered; the 'restored' version you're likely watching still isn't his original vision.