Martin and Beatty were acting strangely because a convicted man who once worked for Martin had escaped. He apparently was someone who attacked men in the restroom for their money, etc. They weren't all crooks. Jim (Martin) was terrified, which is why he kept his mouth shut and worked with Beatty. His wife ran the hotel office. Beatty killed the sherriff, who had killed Lou (the escaped convict). Beatty took the couple back to the hotel and was going to get rid of them and their car...the question I have is why did he honk the horn at Martin and Latham as he was pulling away from the hotel, and then re-enter the property and approach them? He had given Martin the gun, and then Martin shoots him, to finally end it all. He was an unwilling participant. It seems to me that the escaped convict had a mental condition.
Wonderful performance by Ross Martin, as usual.
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VinnieRattolle
16 years ago
Thank you, riderstacey, that's pretty much what I got out of it too... Though I still don't quite understand what they were planning on doing with Coleman and Leachman -- Beatty made a comment about having done this before, "only this time she'll be in the car with him." I'm guessing they were planning on faking a car accident... but that's sort of illogical since the cop said people had gone missing around there before. A body recovered in a car accident wouldn't be considered a missing person.
The performances were all good, and thankfully it didn't turn into one of those corny cannibalistic "we're serving up tourists to the locals" flicks (that's where I initially thought it was going), but the reveal of the plot was murky and completely unsatisfying.
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runemesa (197)
7 years ago
What? That still doesn't make sense. Who was the convict? Was he ever shown? You made it sound like he worked for Martin or something? Wouldn't Martin know what he looked like? Too bad this movie still doesn't make sense, even with your explanation. Thanks though.
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