Hurry Sundown is a 1967 drama film directed by Otto Preminger and based on the novel of the same name by K.B. Gilden. The film explores themes of racism, greed, and exploitation in the American South during the civil rights movement.
The northern cannery combine, led by the ruthless entrepreneur Michael Fonda (played by Robert Hooks), wants to buy up a large tract of land in rural Georgia to expand their operations. The land is owned by Julie Ann Warren (played by Jane Fonda), whose husband Henry (played by Michael Caine) is a draft dodger and a conniving opportunist.
Julie is not interested in selling her land, but Henry manages to option it without her knowledge or consent. Meanwhile, Rad McDowell (played by John Phillip Law), a white farmer and World War II veteran, and Reeve Scott (played by Diahann Carroll), a black farmer and Julie's childhood friend, also own small parcels of land that the combine needs to complete their acquisition.
Both Rad and Reeve are committed to their land and their families, and refuse to sell to the combine. They form an unlikely alliance to resist the pressure from Henry and the combine, and set out to improve their own land with the help of a government loan.
As tensions rise and Henry becomes more desperate, he tries to exploit racial divisions and legal loopholes to force Rad and Reeve to sell. He even goes so far as to accuse Reeve of illegally occupying his land after his mother dies and leaves it to him in her will.
The film features a star-studded cast, including Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Diahann Carroll, John Phillip Law, and Burgess Meredith. It was controversial upon its release for its frank depictions of racism and exploitation, and for its use of strong language and sexual content.
Hurry Sundown is a powerful indictment of the social and economic injustices of the Deep South, and a testament to the resilience and determination of ordinary people in the face of oppression.