A Gathering of Old Men

In this tv drama, a group of men band together to avoid arrest. It's a case of strength in numbers when a white farmer gets shot while bullying a black worker. In the deep South, the man who shot in self-defense would probably get the death penalty, so instead, while he hides, all the other workers pass the word among their families to bring their shotguns and gather at Louis Gossett Jr.'s house (where the dead body lays). One by one, they all claim "I'm Spartacus" in front of the sheriff, Richard Widmark. Ironically, Woody Strode is one of the faux confessors, and he was in Spartacus thirty years earlier. They're joined by Holly Hunter, who also claims she shot the man to protect the men who've been working her family's farm for generations.

Since we know he was a passionate civil rights activist in real life, and we know he got tired of being portrayed as the opposite on the screen, I don't know why Richard Widmark would take his role. All he does is portray a one-dimensional bigot who slaps black men while questioning them. I wouldn't really recommend this movie unless you love Holly Hunter. If your feelings are any less potent, she'll grate on your nerves from start to finish. I understand the moral of the story, but it probably would have made a better 20-minute short than a 90-minute feature.