Have You Seen It?

Country of Origin: The United States of America. A 20th-Century Fox Release. Starring Peter Fonda (Tom Hunter), Gino Franco (Dylan Hunter), Philip Carey (Pierce Crabtree), Lynn Lowry (Lorene Maddox), and John Doucette (Jeff Hunter). Produced by Roger Corman. Written and directed by Jonathan Demme. Running time: 88 minutes.

Jonathan Demme’s Fighting Mad is something exciting: a low-budget exploitation/vigilante film with a social conscience. It is about families who are violently being evicted from their land by a real estate baron, Pierce Crabtree (Philip Carey). When asked what he is going to do with the land long occupied by families, Crabtree says, “A couple of warehouses, a factory, maybe a shopping center.” When asked about a specific plot of land, he answers that he will “put a plant down there.” What’s down there? “Nothing. Just an old horse ranch.” Only that ranch belongs to our hero’s family.

When our protagonist, Tom Hunter (Peter Fonda), and his son Dylan (Gino Franco) first drive into town during the film’s opening credits, this small town feels more like the wild west. On Tom Hunter’s car is a sticker: Don’t Be Fuelish-Ride A Horse. On the road into town, a 1950s model Cadillac recklessly pulls out in front of them, leaving them in a cloud of exhaust. It is the first offense against Tom Hunter. When in town, the driver of that Cadillac, a strip miner who works for Pierce Crabtree, is ramming his car into a Ford truck belonging to one of the locals. In defense of the local, Tom takes a tire iron to the strip miner, followed by an obligatory verbal warning by local law enforcement. On the drive to his family’s home, Tom and Dylan are repeatedly endangered by trucks that aren’t obeying the rules of the road.

When Tom and Dylan arrive at the family home, it is clear that they have been away for a considerable period of time, although it is not disclosed for how long. Tom’s brother Charlie (Scott Glen) and father Jeff (John Doucette) are there to warmly welcome them home. Later on, Tom also has an old girlfriend (Lynn Lowry)to become reacquainted with.

Meanwhile, local homes are being razed by bulldozers owned by Crabtree, all without the owners’ consent. When Crabtree approaches Jeff Hunter about buying his place and Jeff clearly refuses his offer, Crabtree responds, “This is a free country. Everything’s for sale.”

If the film never escapes its exploitation film roots (it is done with some rather broad strokes including more explosions, graphic violence, and nudity than the story requires), it is also true that those elements are combined with nuances, earnestness, and warmth uncommon for this kind of film. Fighting Mad has a touch of Americana and an affection for the people and the land that they live and work on. Tom’s reunion at the beginning of the film with his brother and father exudes sincerity. The look on their faces in response to one another and the familiar warmth they express shows how much these characters value each other. There is another scene when Tom’s son is asking for his attention but Tom is too wrapped up in his own concerns to give it to him. He then realizes his error, approaches his son, and gives him a hug. There are several moments throughout the film that work on this level.

When Tom Hunter is forced to fight back, he practices his marksmanship with a bow and arrow instead of a gun. Although he drives and rides a motorcycle, he has a penchant for riding horses. His old-fashioned beliefs are contrasted with the might supplied by money and modern technology (represented by Pierce Crabtree) and remind one a little of Kirk Douglas in Lonely Are the Brave, being hunted by law enforcement helicopters while Douglas evades them on horseback in the mountains. Only this time around, Tom becomes the hunter.

Fighting Mad is largely a genre film that succeeds in being more than what it promises. It is a successful exploitation/vigilante picture that also works as a film of social awareness with a sensitivity for the average person and the land they live on and work. Is it a perfect film? No. Is it a film worth being excited about? Yes. And as long as we live in a world where what’s “right” is determined by money and might instead of justice, there will be a place for movies like Fighting Mad.