#Aspen 01 (1977) - 8/10
#PerryKing is arrested for murder! #SamElliott must defend him!
1️⃣ This flashback-heavy 2-hour opener tells their separate/parallel stories, in the weeks before the crime. Both leads are great, as is #MichellePhillips as a psychotic love interest.
2️⃣ We don’t get to the actual murder here, but we do get plenty of sordid backstory. Both of the men, and their best friends (#RogerDavis & #BoHopkins), are in love with various women (including #DebiRichter & #JessicaHarper) who string them along and ultimately don’t seem to care for them. At all.
3️⃣ Cast is jam-packed with big names, and most get their moment in the spotlight. #GeneBarry is a bullying millionaire developer, #TonyFranciosa is a drug kingpin. #JohnHouseman is... John Houseman.
4️⃣ Elliott’s character is the only decent guy in the mix. King’s character is a fool, blinded by love. He makes some terrible decisions, but we like him. And root for him. The women are astonishingly cruel. The pace is fast, since there are 2 a-stories running side-by-side.
5️⃣ As part one draws to a close, it looks like the murder is about to happen...
RikerDonegal