Synopsis
Tennessee mountain patriarchs Laban Feather (Rod Steiger) and Pap Gutshall (Robert Ryan) and their respective broods have long been fussing over a desirable piece of meadowland. One of the Gutshalls escalates the rivalry, sending the hot-blooded Feather boys a postcard from a mysterious femme. The intent of the card is to lure the boys to meet the nonexistent woman, leaving the Feathers' moonshine operation unguarded. Falling for the ruse, the Feathers kidnap an innocent girl they think penned the note, and what erupts next isn't just a feud, it's war - a blood feud that will cost both families dearly. Adapting a novel she wrote before her "Alphabet Series" of detective novels, Sue Grafton coscripts this cautionary tale about the course of violence. Jeff Bridges, Gary Busey and Randy Quaid join Steiger and Ryan in the tales chain of reprisal, unintended consequences and feverish slaughter.