The California Kid (1974)

Plot:

The California Kid follows a sadistic small-town sheriff who has a habit of deliberately forcing speeders to their deaths on the mountain roads leading into town. A deranged, desert town sheriff has a murderous habit or forcing speeders to their deaths, until a young man with a souped-up hotrod arrives to possibly end it. Martin Sheen is at his most “James Dean-ish” and Vic Morrow at his most sadistic in the made-for-TV The California Kid.

The California Kid (1974) Review:

For those of us Baby Boomers who arrived too late on the scene to appreciate James Dean et. al., Martin Sheen showed us The Way in this great feature. The premise is easy enough: cool hood meets small town sheriff and All-Hell ensues, but the nuts and bolts of this movie enthrall the car nut in all of us. No, this isn’t Casablanca, nor is it great Literature, but it IS a serious movie about cars, rebellion, and the genius that is Martin Sheen. Enjoy this and appreciate it for what it is, and for what Martin will become. I loved this movie growing up as a teen in the 70’s, and you will too.