I came across this once on British TV, way back in 1989 and although it was just a fairly run-of-the-mill TV Movie, for some reason the memory of it stayed with me so I recently sought out a copy of it and gave it a re-watch.
Sure, it's a bit cliched and contrived in places, but overall it's a decent, very watchable story that covers numerous themes including justice, forgiveness (and lack of it), class, prejudice, abuse of authority, the power of the press, impartiality, second child inferiority complex and the parental fixation that no one can ever be a good enough suitor for their child.
Handsome young football team captain Bo Reinecker (Alex McArthur) was incarcerated in a mental institution for causing the death of his cheerleader girlfriend Lisa Nolen, but four years later he is now out and returning to his home town of Bannon to try and piece things together as his memory of the incident is lacking due to a blow he received to the head in the struggle.
Of course, his return gets under the skin of Lisa's embittered father, Thomas (Karl Malden), an influential figure in the town as he runs the local bank. The Reinecker family, who operate a humble haulage company in the town, have carried the stigma of Bo's guilt and are at breaking point - physically, mentally and financially. But now Bo's return is ramping up the pressure on them.
Caught in the middle is Thomas Nolen's surviving daughter Wynn (Holly Hunter), now trying to establish herself as a journalist in the town's newspaper. Whilst her father expects her to respect Lisa's memory and support him in using her influence to get Bo taken back into custody, she knows she has the professional responsibility to remain impartial. Yet Wynn also remembers when she, like all the other young girls in Bannon, was attracted to the rugged young football captain and those feelings have not entirely deserted her.
Although far from being an A-list movie, decent performances, strongly-defined characters and a plot that unfolds well with one or two unexpected twists along the way, make this a perfectly watchable drama.
