Bill Ballinger, a Hitchcock favorite, wrote this desert adventure. Hitch had good taste as Bill wrote the gruesome cult classic, THE STRANGLER (1964), starring manacing Victor Buono. Watch for it.
I have read all the reviews... and I can only add one thing. This is human nature at its absolute worst. This is a very good role for young Burt Reynolds, starring as a truck driver, who along with his dad are stuck in the middle of the California desert.
It's just their luck to run into a couple of kidnappers, and the girl they are holding hostage, to seal the deal. These characters are a despicable bunch, a reworking of the OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT, only without shade!
Their car gets smashed up, and now they have their bloodshot eyes on Burt's truck.
Good luck, Chuck, and with a 100 degress to keep them company. The ending is pure Hitchcock, and so fitting.
This is also the kind of role that brought Burt Reynolds a lot of attention. He was a natural.
One of the best, for character development and originality. From SEASON 5 EPISODE 37 remastered Universal dvd box set.