Director John Frankenheimer's attention to detail, coupled with excellent plot twists will keep you glued to this unmissable film. Roy Scheider plays the morally flawed hero with fantastic ease whilst John Glover's cool talking character makes a truly frightening villain.

Harry Mitchell (Scheider), an L.A. manufacturer with a fancy car, a nice house, and a beautiful wife (Ann-Margret) running for city council, has his life overturned when three hooded blackmailers appear with a videotape of Harry and his young mistress. He's being set up, and they want $100,000. To protect his wife's political ambitions, Harry won't go to the police; instead, he turns the tables on them and refuses to pay. They increase their demands and so he goes on the offensive, tracking them down and trying to turn one against the other. Their sociopath leader, Alan (Glover), responds with violence toward the mistress and menace toward Harry's wife. Will Harry let up and pay off Alan or can he find some other solution?