Review of Going Home

Found this rare movie through an online rare movie collector (www.subcin.com). JMV plays Jimmy Graham, a 19 year old who goes in search of his father Harry K Graham (Robert Mitchum). Jimmy was a witness to his father murdering his mother when he was a child. He lingers around Harry's trailer and Harry's new girlfriend Jenny (played splendidly by Brenda Vaccaro), seemingly awaiting his father's explanation of this hideous act. There is great Oedipal tension with JMV and Brenda Vaccaro as Jimmy seems to think of her as his lost mother. He wants to protect her from lewd sailors in the arcade in which she works, and at the same time her feels anger and jealously towards her. There is a very well-acted rape scene (in a suggestive cock-fighting chicken coop)in which Jimmy attacks Jenny. Jimmy also broods when he's with his father. He seems to want to provoke his father's anger towards himself. There's a great scene at a gas station where Jimmy 'dreams' of his father attacking him. Also, the rape itself was also meant to provoke his father's anger. The ending is very interesting - no true resolution is made, and Harry Graham finally admits (rather coldly) that there was no reason he killed Jimmy's mother. It was murder born out of simple anger. The son has his answer. Then, the father drives away, leaving Jimmy on his own.

The story has a very blue-collar setting- trailer parks, bowling alleys, etc. Jan Michael Vincent is excellent in this movie. It's one of his earliest roles. He would later play Robert Mitchum's son again in the TV series WINDS OF WAR. It's a very quiet, simmering performance with a James Dean angst to it. You can tell JMV has a great intensity about him, even at this young stage of his career. Robert Mitchum is also very good as Harry Graham. He has a very non-chalant, intimidating quality to him. Brenda Vaccaro gives a truly moving performance.