"Chiefs" (1983) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Jerry London

Writers:

Stuart Woods (novel)
Robert W. Lenski (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

An epic adventure seeming with power, love and hatred.

Plot:

Three generations of police chiefs for a southern town go about their jobs while a serial murderer operates.

Plot Keywords:

Chiefs | Police | Racism | Serial Teen Killer | Serial Boy Killer

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Hugh Holmes
Keith Carradine	...	Foxy Funderburke
Stephen Collins	...	Billy Lee
Brad Davis	...	Sonny Butts
Tess Harper	...	Carrie Lee
Paula Kelly	...	Liz Watts
Wayne Rogers	...	Will Henry Lee
Paul Sorvino	...	Sheriff Skeeter Willis
Victoria Tennant	...	Trish Lee
Billy Dee Williams	...	Tyler Watts (aka Joshua Cole)
Lane Smith	...	Hoss Spence
Kaiulani Lee	...	Mrs. Butts
Novella Nelson	...	Nellie Cole
Danny Glover	...	Marshall Peters
Leo Burmester	...	Emmett Spence

Also Known As:

"Once Upon a Murder" (UK)

Runtime:

Brazil:229 min (video version) | Germany:283 min (3 parts) | USA:200 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Chester, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Highgate Pictures

Trivia:

Andy Griffith was announced to part of the cast, but he became ill and was replaced by Keith Carradine.

Quotes:

Will Henry Lee: To beat the boll weevil you got to be both good and rich

absolutely riveting with strong visuals

My entire family was riveted to the "Chiefs". I feel that it is one of the best written and casted films to this day. I'd promote this movie until I die. It was intelligently written, eluding to hideous crimes without the overkill of blood and gore. Anyone that appreciates old cars, old cycles and vivid acting would benefit to rent, buy or borrow Chiefs. I like to tell anyone that will listen that they will be on the edge of their seats for most of the movie. I was a teenager when it came on TV. To this day I can remember how I felt during the 'handlebar scene'. Sad to say, this movie's plot is the first thing I think of every time I hear of a disappearance or kidnapping in the real world. I'd rate this as one movie I would want on my TV line up once a year. A remake is in order if it could be cast with such strong actors again.