An Air Force pilot Major Charles Rane (William Devane) returns home to a heroes welcome to his Texas town after 7 years of captivity and torture. He's given a new car, $2000 in silver dollars, and a parade and great honors by his hometown.
Just underneath this facade is a darker reality. In a theme that's similar to Rambo, we see a man damaged by the war, only to come back to a home that's even more damaged than himself. His wife is has found another man and is divorcing him, an he's soon attacked in his own home by a group of bandits.
Devane underplays Rane in a way that greatly shapes the film. Much tension is built up throughout the film, only to be released in the climax. He seems almost at home in the violence of the film, as if it all comes naturally. He's "The strong silent type", as one character observes.
There's a certain compelling aspect to this film that's hard to describe. It does follow what's become a formula, but it doesn't have the feel of an action film where the heroes are invincible. Reportedly one of Quentin Tarantinos favorite films, he even named a short lived cult film distributor after the movie.
