Atticus (James Coburn) goes to the small Mexican town where his estranged son (Paul Kersey) was a resident to discover how he died.
Acting
Coburn's final great performance—crusty, broken, magnificent.
Cinematography
Mexico as liminal space between life and death.
Writing
Dad investigates son's secret life; every revelation stings.
Director
Carl Schenkel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was James Coburn's final leading role before his death in 2002; he reportedly saw it as his late-career redemption from decades of action-hero typecasting.
The film adapts Norman Zollinger's novel but shifts focus to Atticus's perspective, making it essentially a mystery about masculine emotional illiteracy.
US
