Framed

Framed (1975)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Phil Karlson

Starring: Joe Don Baker (RIP), Conny Van Dyke, plenty of character actors

From: Paramount

A belated RIP to Joe Don Baker

It was a cosmic coincidence that in month preceding his death I saw two movies featuring Baker: one of his most famous roles as Buford Pusser in the original Walking Tall and his small role in Congo. The latter was an OOT performance-then again, it was an OOT character who literally cared more about diamonds than the life of his own son. While only viewing a small amount of his filmography, there’s never been an issue w/ any of his performances with the wide variety of characters he portrayed. 

Two vastly different parts in the Bond universe, a badass real-life sheriff, a sadistic hitman named Molly, or in this case, a nightclub owner and gambler (Ron Lewis) who is in fact framed for murder who seeks revenge after parole… he could do that all well as a large, imposing figure who could portray more than such figures on screen. Framed also had a stunt that achieved some note of notoriety on Twitter over the years—as in, it’s amazing that the stuntman didn’t pass away, but more on that at the end. This not only reunited the star and director of Walking Tall, it was the last film of Phil Karlson.

It's a tough story where Lewis experiences success one night playing cards, and then that’s when things went to Hades. Law enforcement in Framed was presented as “incredibly corrupt;” insert your own comments if you wish. Now, a sexual assault occurs and many now won’t like that. I hadn’t seen Conny Van Dyke-a singer IRL-in anything before but she did a fine job as the singer girlfriend of Ron even if her role required that assault.

Otherwise, this had plenty for me to love: plenty of familiar character actor faces (John Marley, Brock Peters, Hard Boiled Haggerty, Red West, Hoke Howell, William J. Ketterling), a great brawl in a garage that is potent due to realism, and a serious monologue that Lewis delivers to… a cockroach while in solitary. The setup and time in prison were compelling, but the revenge-it was indeed sweet, sweet revenge. Framed takes its time yet I never felt a second of boredom; the general 70’s milieu and a nice score from Patrick Williams helped in that regard. 

For those that favor gritty 70’s revenge pictures, Framed is well worth a shot. Furthermore, those that love big stunts which almost went awry… it can be found on both Twitter and YouTube. The moment in question is a train colliding with an automobile; the stuntman portraying Baker rolls out of the way as the explosives in the back of the vehicle cause a huge eruption of flame & smoke. From the camera angle, the flames were either bigger than expected or he rolled out too late as it appeared to be a huge stroke of luck that this stuntman was not immolated and either survived w/ burns all over their body a la Kane Hodder or passed away. As that person wasn’t hurt, everyone can marvel at how good the stunt looked. 

Also, this was a nice way to pay tribute to the sort of actor we need more of in these modern times.