Steve Forrest plays David Buchanan, a rather nasty high-powered executive. One night he's walking down the street and bumps into a guy. It was all just an accident. However, Dave takes it very personal-- and verbally and physically attacks the other guy, Carlos (John Gavin). To protect himself, Carlos shoves Dave and Dave falls and smashes his head. The guy was simply defending himself--and Carlos runs in fear when a lady sees what she THINKS is a mugging.
The case is reported to the police as a mugging and Dave is a VERY impatient man. He insists the cops work harder and when they don't find the guy, he goes off as a vigilante to find the stranger who 'attacked' him--to mete out justice. In the process of tracking the guy down, he sees the man's daughter and tries to talk to her. She's naturally afraid and runs--into the path of an oncoming truck. Dave, like Carlos, didn't intend for this to happen--and now it's Carlos who is going to come looking for HIM. And the macho and stupid Dave's solution is to buy a gun to protect himself. Eventually, the pair end up fighting it out...almost like cowboys in the old west...in a modern American city!
This is an excellent episode. It's a wonderful story about revenge and misunderstandings--problems that could have all been avoided if folks simply treated each other better in the first place. It's also an excellent portrait of men who simply refuse to back down and allow themselves to be the first to end the feud. I have never seen another show like this one and it's VERY tense and exciting. It's also interesting because as you watch, you could imagine folks behaving this way...sadly. It also could be interpreted by some as a metaphor for the Cold War--especially in light of when it was made. The ending might turn off some, as it might be seen as a tad heavy-handed but I still enjoyed it. Well worth your time and one of the better episodes of "Kraft Suspense Theatre"--and it definitely lives up to the 'suspense' in its title!
If you want to see this one, it and the other episodes of the series are available on YouTube. Most are well worth seeing.