Framed is an easy film to respect, but a hard one to like. It’s an iconic ‘70s revenge drama, with a hard-boiled script that would have been the envy of any ‘50s noir. And it’s the final film from director Phil Karlson, who, in a four-decade career, brought Kansas City Confidential, The Phenix City Story, The Brothers Rico, 5 Against the House and other noteworthy crime dramas to the screen. It’s also one of the ugliest and most sadistic films to ever come from a major – if essentially journeyman – director.

Released in 1975, Framed was a follow-up to Karlson’s previous film, the surprise hit Walking Tall, and reunited him with its star, Joe Don Baker. Made for $500,000 and filmed on location in rural Tennessee, Walking Tall was the true-life story of Sheriff Buford Pusser, who was the victim – and perpetrator – of much mayhem while trying to clean up his crime-ridden county. In some ways, it recalled Karlson’s earlier Alabama-set Phenix City (in fact, many of the career criminals in Pusser’s real-life McNairy County had relocated there after being driven out of Phenix City by reform efforts a decade earlier). Walking Tall, of which Karlson reportedly owned a substantial percentage, went on to earn $23 million in the U.S. alone.

Excerpt from FilmNoiroftheWeek located HERE

Director Phil Karlson harks back to the no-nonsense, no-thrills directness of his 1950s "B" pictures in Framed. Joe Don Baker, Karlson's star in Walking Tall, plays Ron, a high-rolling gambler with a streak of integrity. Framed by the film's villains--including a cartel of corrupt cops--Ron is carted off to prison. Upon his release, he embarks upon a carefully calculated campaign of revenge. The film's stylistic ties to the enormously successful Walking Tall include the screenwriting contributions of Mort Briskin.

Gary Tooze

February 17th, 2017