Outrage

Directed by Richard T. Heffron, 1973

A group of spoilt rich teenagers have been terrorising their neighbourhood in California for three years. The parents don't seem to have a problem with their behaviour and object to being held responsible. Although they have been getting away with murder, literally, the police do nothing about it. A few months after moving into the area, a veterinary surgeon and his wife, Jim and Muriel Kiler (Robert Culp and Marlyn Mason) are targeted. Their house is torched and bombed, bricks are thrown through their windows, and their dog is run over. They are terrorised regularly just for fun and nothing is done about it. The parents of those involved are named in a local community meeting and walk out. The people remaining do do not vote to bring more police in to patrol the area. And one boy takes the rap fo the initial assault thus allowing his friends to get off with zero convinctions. Only a worthless warning. Which they ignore. The attacks continue. And Mr Kiler finally tells his wife that her method isn't working and that the only way to deal with these youngsters is to use violence. he goes round to each property to see how they like it: smashed windows, wrecked cars, hostile threats. The result is that no complaints are ever made to the police and the violence stops immediately. Based on a true story in America.