This is a kind of a prequel to DEATH WISH, about a respectable man who is victimized by a gang of thrill-seeking youths, finds the police unsatisfactory, and takes the law into his own hands. (Unlike Paul Kersey, Walt Sherill doesn't become a generalized vigilante, but one gets the impression that he might have, if he had not been able to locate his attackers.)
But I enjoyed this movie much more than DEATH WISH (the original AND the recent remake). Alan Ladd does a much better job than Charles Bronson or Bruce Willis of making his character sympathetic, and Sherill's wife plays a larger role in the story than Kersey's. Also, this movie's ending, although ambiguous, is much more satisfying than Bronson's self-mocking wink at the end of DEATH WISH.
But I enjoyed this movie much more than DEATH WISH (the original AND the recent remake). Alan Ladd does a much better job than Charles Bronson or Bruce Willis of making his character sympathetic, and Sherill's wife plays a larger role in the story than Kersey's. Also, this movie's ending, although ambiguous, is much more satisfying than Bronson's self-mocking wink at the end of DEATH WISH.