AllMovie

Barnard Hughes stars in this compelling TV movie as an elderly urbanite who allegedly refuses to shelter a young Hispanic (David Hernandez) from a marauding gang. The youth is killed right before the old man's eyes. Branded a "Bad Samaritan," the man is raked over the coals of adverse public opinion, until a probing high school teacher learns the truth of his supposed act of cowardice. While the same basic premise had been utilized in several earlier dramas (notably the 1960s Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "Small Craft Warnings"), Night of Courage tackles its issues with freshness and nuance. Bryan Williams' script, the winner of the 1986 ABC Theatre Award, was based on Williams' own stage play In This Fallen City, which had previously received an award from the Eugene O'Neill National Playwright's Conference.