I decided to rent this movie because of its interesting cast and also because the 1970s was the golden age of the made for TV movie. But as the end credits started to roll, I felt kind of let down by what I had just seen. Don't get me wrong - this isn't a terrible or merely bad movie. Vic Morrow is good as the villain, and what's really interesting is that the script doesn't make his character a COMPLETE creep - we learn he has a trauma in his past. And Martin Sheen does well as a laid back protagonist. In fact, pretty much the entire movie is very laid back, and that's the problem. There is no grit, no feeling of tension, and what happens in the climax is telegraphed so early on that there is no surprise when it actually happens. There's also very little action during the entire 74 minute running length to liven things up. More often than not this car movie seems to be just spinning its wheels. I've seen worse, but the movie lacks enough spark to be a real grabber.
Review of The California Kid
