Eddie Macon's Run (1983)

Crappy film

A different way of telling a story

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Watching Eddie Macon's Run and seeing what John Schneider had to go through in flashback in what landed him in Huntsville State Prison and his efforts on a second escape attempt, I concluded someone really does not like the great state of Texas. It's important to remember that Schneider moved his family from Florida to Texas because of promised good paying jobs with the oil industry. At that time Texas was booming because of oil, a lot of people went there like Schneider. But Schneider who needs money badly because his young son has a rare blood disease finds himself working for peanuts because of some kickback scheme. When he protests and gets nasty about it, he gets tossed in jail for a five year rap. On his second attempt to escape he breaks out during the prison rodeo and he's got a good plan.He's also got like Richard Kimble his own Lieutenant Gerard in Kirk Douglas who is less than impressed with the cowboy mentality of the place. He's from a civilized land called New Jersey and he brought in Schneider before and can do it again if for no other reason than to show the rest of the hicks good investigatory police work.One of the few people that Schneider gets some sympathy from is heiress Lee Purcell. And she's helping him essentially for the thrill.Schneider with his devotion to his family was one of the more noble heroes of the Eighties cinema. We the audience hope that he makes it on his run from Huntsville to the Laredo border town. Eddie Macon's Run compares most favorably to those classics from Warner Brothers in the Thirties, The Life Of Jimmy Dolan and They Made Me A Criminal. And if you're familiar with those films you know how Eddie Macon's Run will turn out.

My friend and I saw Eddie Macon's Run at the theater when it was first released. I remember really liking it back then and I bought the video tape of it a year or so ago. I enjoyed it as much as I did when I was in my late teens. It contained action that had me on the edge of my seat with the good cop chasing the bad guy scenes, with a twist. It had some flirtatiousness, and was also a love story. There were parts where it kept you wondering what would happen next. It gave me so many different feelings throughout the movie; anywhere from being scared, sad, and angered to happy and relieved, etc. You can never go wrong with Kirk Douglas and John Schneider in the key roles.

I saw this movie when it was released. Its a very good movie (I thought) and, the acting was better then your avg. "B" type Movies. Kurt Douglass while showing his years here, plays the street wise detective hot on the trail and his acting is still top notch. I found the story line original and creative which added to the suspense. I gave it high marks because the events in which Eddie finds himself in trouble could happen to any of us.When Eddie discovers that his job is taking a 25% cut for letting him work there he leaves in a huff. Mad, he drives off at a high rate of speed only to be pulled over by the small town cops that seem to enjoy busting Eddies chops. Already upset, Eddie finds himself in a scrap with the cops who bring him in. Now facing the local town judge, he's given a ridiculous jail term for his infraction. Eddie decides he's got to figure a way out of jail. He comes up with a clever way of not only pulling it off but, he's planned out details of his escape route as well

For a movie labeled chiefly as an action-adventure, some of the dialogue and plot gets quite syrupy (especially that one soundtrack song which airs when Eddie Macon is 'retro-daydreaming' past life events). However, the story line is good without being TOO predictable and the characters are well thawed out. It holds interest well. I first saw it about a year after it's initial release date and it has been a mild favorite of mine ever since. Worth checking out.