Greed. Sex. Ruthlessness. Promises made. Betrayal. Corruption. It's all here. But it all starts when Perry King follows Michelle Phillips to Aspen, despite the fact her father had him beat up and told to stay away from her, and that's where the action takes place. The film opens on a 1977 interview of attorney Sam Elliott and he relays the story of how he defended Perry King for murder. That's the very, very basic gist of it. Part 1 has a lot of talking and is kind of slow, despite the murder, but is interesting in parts. Part II picks up with the murder trial, but what really catapults the film is what happens because of the trial. When Sam cleans up, he cleans up good. It's every man for himself. And, Part III gets your blood boiling with a ending that unnerves you, especially Sam, anyway. As the film progresses, the players seem to drop like flies, especially in Part III. They don't all necessarily die, as they are really written out quickly and matter of factly. The exceptional supporting cast includes Gene Barry, John Houseman, John McGiver, Joseph Cotton, William Prince and Tony Franciosa. Bo Hopkins (of "Dynasty" fame) plays Perry's friend and it's his p.y.t. that is killed. In fact, despite the fact this is a whodunit throughout the run of this, it's fairly obvious what happened. I say that. There is some doubt. But either one of two people did it. But which one, you ask? There is a lot of drama due to the mishandled trial and about a promise between Sam and another who becomes a judge in the final hour. I felt like I was making fun of Sam in the beginning, as he only has two speeds: low-key and boiling over with rage with big-eyed expressions. Despite the minor criticisms such as that and the fact there was no good female lead to speak of, now that I have seen the whole thing, I was really impressed with its story telling and look forward to seeing this again.
Review of Aspen
