AllMovie

Martin Sheen is at his most "James Dean-ish" and Vic Morrow at his most sadistic in the made-for-TV The California Kid. Sheen plays a hot rodder whose brother dies at the hands of sheriff Morrow. It is Morrow's habit to punish speeders by deliberately running them off precipitous mountain curves. Sheen goads Morrow into a no-survivors chase up a steep mountain road--where more than a few surprises await the homicidal lawkeeper. Martin Sheen's souped-up, garishly decorated jalopy gives the best and most consistent "performance" in The California Kid.