I just finished watching this film which is now available on DVD-R from Warner Brothers. It is part of their Warner Archive Collection. I would advise you to watch the film without knowing anything about its background. It is worth it. The movie stands on its own. So don't read any more unless you want some more back-round on it and some opinions!
It is indeed based upon real events that took place in the summer of 1978 when Gary Tison serving two consecutive life sentences, at the Arizona State Prison, for murder broke out with the help of his three teenage sons. You can read a deeper story about Tison and the sociopathic nature of his control over his sons as well as his inherited lawlessness which is not explained in this TV drama by obtaining the book "Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison" by James W. Clarke (University of Arizona Press). Clarke actually slept near Tison's group one night at a Colorado camp site and not knowing who he was just felt evil present and picked up his family and left. The book also indicts the corruption in the Arizona prison system.
James Spader plays Donny the eldest of the sons who evidently had a good future studying law (to be used years later on Boston Legal) in college which he threw away to help supervise the breakout. The breakout is a tense almost unbelievable event. And according to news reports it became an embarrassment to the Arizona State Prison system for quite some time. Mitchum almost has a "heart attack" (joking here) when they first change cars. I actually laughed out loud at his reaction. You'll have to see it in context.
When the five are on the road in a different car speeding away everything seems fine because they are on their way to Mexico. After they have a flat tire in the desert things start to spiral out of control and they boys begin to question who and what their father really is.
My main complaint about this TV drama is that Mitchum's character was never revealed as being a former murderer. The viewer is led to believe he was in prison for a much lesser crime and was a normal inmate and father, not the sociopath he really was. And it seems the sons never knew this either though this seems to be impossible to believe.
The epilogue can now be updated to read:
After 19 years of litigation waiting on death row, Randy Greenawalt was executed: Jan. 23, 1997
Ricky and Raymond Tison, who were under 20 years old at the time of the shootings, were also sentenced to death. On appeal, their sentences were reduced to life in prison.
It is indeed based upon real events that took place in the summer of 1978 when Gary Tison serving two consecutive life sentences, at the Arizona State Prison, for murder broke out with the help of his three teenage sons. You can read a deeper story about Tison and the sociopathic nature of his control over his sons as well as his inherited lawlessness which is not explained in this TV drama by obtaining the book "Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison" by James W. Clarke (University of Arizona Press). Clarke actually slept near Tison's group one night at a Colorado camp site and not knowing who he was just felt evil present and picked up his family and left. The book also indicts the corruption in the Arizona prison system.
James Spader plays Donny the eldest of the sons who evidently had a good future studying law (to be used years later on Boston Legal) in college which he threw away to help supervise the breakout. The breakout is a tense almost unbelievable event. And according to news reports it became an embarrassment to the Arizona State Prison system for quite some time. Mitchum almost has a "heart attack" (joking here) when they first change cars. I actually laughed out loud at his reaction. You'll have to see it in context.
When the five are on the road in a different car speeding away everything seems fine because they are on their way to Mexico. After they have a flat tire in the desert things start to spiral out of control and they boys begin to question who and what their father really is.
My main complaint about this TV drama is that Mitchum's character was never revealed as being a former murderer. The viewer is led to believe he was in prison for a much lesser crime and was a normal inmate and father, not the sociopath he really was. And it seems the sons never knew this either though this seems to be impossible to believe.
The epilogue can now be updated to read:
After 19 years of litigation waiting on death row, Randy Greenawalt was executed: Jan. 23, 1997
Ricky and Raymond Tison, who were under 20 years old at the time of the shootings, were also sentenced to death. On appeal, their sentences were reduced to life in prison.