A Killer in the Family 1983
Directed by
Richard T. Heffron
Made by
Stan Margulies Productions
A Killer in the Family Plot Summary
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Donny Tison James Spader is a pre-law student, deeply committed to a loving relationship with his high school sweetheart, Carol Catherine Mary Stewart. He is the most steady of Gary Tison’s three sons, but his brothers—Ray [Lance Kerwin], a hard-working farm laborer, and Ricky [Eric Stoltz], who spends his days drifting—grow restless and become convinced that their father must be freed from prison. Donny, torn by duty and family, privately threatens to turn them in to the police even as he weighs the risky path they’re about to undertake. Yet, seeing their resolve, he ultimately agrees to join the plan, convinced that Gary cannot be broken out without his help.
The trio drives to the prison under a tense, escalating mood, with Donny and Ricky using their weapons to keep everyone hostage while Ray orchestrates the breakout by freeing Gary Tison [Robert Mitchum] and his cellmate, Randy Greenawalt [Stuart Margolin]. Once outside, they seize a car and vanish into the Arizona landscape as a nationwide police alert declares them armed and dangerous. Donny’s initial skepticism gives way to a grim realization that the pursuit will not be easy, and the fugitive run tests the family’s loyalties and their capacity for violence.
After a period on the run, Gary decides to change cars to elude capture. He hijacks another vehicle, forcing the occupants to step out, including John Lyons [Arliss Howard], his wife Dannelda Lyons [Amanda Wyss], their young niece Teresa [Susan Swift], and their baby. Donny tries to calm the terrified family by promising they will be unharmed, but Gary’s paranoia and ruthlessness take over. He shoots John and Dannelda, then kills Teresa and the infant, an atrocity that shocks Donny and Ricky to their core and makes them confront the possibility that their father is not the benevolent figure they believed him to be.
The next morning, a debate in a gas station shop sees Ray proposing that they turn themselves in, arguing they were not involved in the killings. Donny silences him, insisting that Gary will never let them go, and the siblings reluctantly return to their father, seeking refuge with a female friend of Randy. The authorities gain a break when a gas station attendant recognizes the gang from the papers, prompting a wider manhunt that edges them toward the U.S.–Mexico border.
As the chase culminates, the police ambush the fugitives. Donny is fatally shot, while his brothers are captured and condemned to death row. Gary manages to escape the immediate scene, but his body is found eleven days later, leaving the family tragedy to linger in the memory of a manhunt that began with a desperate bid for freedom and ended in a grim reckoning.
A Killer in the Family Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of A Killer in the Family (1983) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Family plans to free Gary Tison
Gary Tison is serving two consecutive life sentences. His three young sons—Donny, Ray, and Ricky—decide to break him out after learning a fellow prisoner might kill him. Donny, the eldest, is morally torn but agrees to help in order to keep his family together.
The breakout begins: hostages and escape
Donny and Ricky confront guards and seize control while Ray helps release Gary and his cellmate Randy. The brothers move from planning to action, gripping weapons as they push toward an escape. The escape marks the start of a dangerous flight from the authorities.
Fugitives on the road and police alert
The escapees flee into the Arizona landscape with a nationwide alert declaring them armed and dangerous. Donny tries to maintain a calm front, but the scale of the crime weighs on everyone. The hunt closes in as the family enters a precarious alliance on the run.
Gary hijacks a car and commits a family murder
Gary changes cars to elude pursuit and forces the occupants to exit. He suspects the driver will betray him and decides to kill him and his family, despite Donny’s attempts to restrain him. Donny and Ricky are forced to watch as four innocent lives are ended.
The massacre’s revelation
Donny and Ricky are stunned by their father’s violence, and the brothers realize Gary is not the loving patriarch they believed. The bond of loyalty strains under the weight of the massacre as they grapple with what they’ve become. The escape becomes a test of family loyalties versus morality.
Next morning at the gas station
Ray suggests surrender to the police since they hadn’t killed anyone, but Donny shuts him down. He explains that Gary will never let the brothers go, and the escape must continue. The brothers stay aligned by fear and necessity rather than trust.
Hideout with Randy’s friend
The trio returns to their father and goes into hiding with a female friend of Randy. The makeshift shelter provides a temporary refuge from the homeland security chase. Tensions rise as fear and desperation push the family to the edge.
Gas station warning escalates the manhunt
A local gas station owner recognizes the gang from the paper and warns the police. The fugitives flee by stealing a newly-bought car, accelerating toward Mexico. The net tightens as investigators close in behind them.
Flight toward Mexico
With authorities in pursuit, the group pushes toward the Mexican border in a desperate bid to outrun capture. The journey unfolds across the desert as the brothers’ resolve fractures under pressure. The escape reveals the fragility of their family alliance.
Police ambush and Donny’s death
In a final ambush, police confront the fleeing group and Donny is shot to death. The murder marks a brutal turning point that silences the eldest son and leaves the others in shock. The family’s pursuit ends with Donny fallen and the rest on the run.
Brothers arrested and sent to death row
Donny’s brothers are arrested during the ambush and sentenced to death row. The family legacy of crime and evasion seals their fates as justice closes in. The fate of the Gary Tison escape becomes a cautionary tale.
Gary escapes but is found eleven days later
Gary evades capture and disappears into the desert, but his body is found eleven days later. The pursuit ends with a grim fate for the fugitive patriarch. The collapse of the escape marks the end of a violent family saga.
A Killer in the Family Characters
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Donny Tison (James Spader)
Donny is the oldest Tison son, a pre-law student who is in a loving relationship with his high school sweetheart, Carol. He embodies a moral center within the family, yet struggles with his loyalty to his brothers. When confronted with the plan to free their father, he agrees under pressure, believing they cannot succeed without him, and his inner conflict drives much of the drama.
Gary Tison (Robert Mitchum)
Gary is the imprisoned father whose determination to stay free escalates into violence. He exploits his sons' loyalty, hijacks cars, and orders brutal acts to secure his escape. His ruthless pragmatism reveals a chilling dynamic of power and control within the family, culminating in deadly consequences.
Ray Tison (Lance Kerwin)
Ray is the middle Tison brother, a hard-working farm laborer with a restless streak. He pushes for drastic action to free Gary and joins in the dangerous plan, driven by a mix of bravado and loyalty. His impulsiveness contrasts with Donny's moral tension and adds to the volatile mix.
Ricky Tison (Eric Stoltz)
Ricky is the youngest Tison brother, portrayed as someone who spends his days doing little, yet participates in the escape with a willingness born from family bonds. His presence underscores the perils of young, impressionable loyalty when faced with violent choices. He becomes part of the plan and its brutal outcome.
John Lyons (Arliss Howard)
John is the gas station owner whose car is hijacked during Gary's escape. He is cautious and initially promises not to involve the police, trying to protect his wife and child. His family becomes collateral in the fallout of Gary's violence, highlighting the innocent victims of the fugitives' actions.
Dannelda Lyons (Amanda Wyss)
Dannelda is John Lyons's wife, who is terrified by Gary's coercive presence. She represents the vulnerable civilians caught in the crossfire of a failed escape, clinging to hope and trying to keep her family safe amidst chaos.
Teresa Lyons (Susan Swift)
Teresa is the young niece of John Lyons and a baby in the dangerous car during the hijack. Her innocence stands in stark contrast to the violence around her, underscoring the human cost of the fugitives' choices.
Randy Greenawalt (Stuart Margolin)
Randy is Gary's cellmate who is released during the escape. The summary presents him as part of the prison break dynamic, contributing to the tense web of allegiances that unfolds after the fugitives leave the prison.
Carol (Catherine Mary Stewart)
Carol is Donny's high school sweetheart, a steadying influence in his life who represents the personal life Donny hopes to protect. Her relationship with Donny provides a human dimension to the costs of the escape and the choices he faces.
A Killer in the Family Settings
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Location
Arizona, Mexico
Set primarily in the Arizona desert, the story follows a fugitive clan across sun-baked towns and open highways. The escape moves from a prison break to a cross-border chase into Mexico, highlighting a harsh, desolate landscape. The setting features gas stations, highways, and remote desert roads that heighten the tension of the pursuit.
A Killer in the Family Themes
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Family
Family ties drive the plot as the three brothers grapple with love, loyalty, and the pull to protect their father. The film probes how affection can blur moral lines and push individuals toward dangerous choices. Donny's conflict centers on choosing between safeguarding his kin and upholding his own moral code.
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Moral conflict
Donny is torn between loyalty to his family and his sense of justice, gradually stepping into a more compromising role. Gary's ruthless pragmatism pushes the family toward violence, revealing a tension between affection and brutality. The consequences force each character to confront the cost of their decisions.
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Pursuit
The escape triggers a relentless pursuit across desert roads and into Mexico, heightening danger at every turn. Law enforcement narrows in, leading to a climactic ambush that tests the fugitives' resolve. The chase exposes how quickly plans crumble under pressure and how violence begets more violence.
A Killer in the Family Spoiler-Free Summary
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In the stark, sun‑blasted deserts of Arizona, a notorious inmate sits behind bars, his reputation already a legend that haunts the surrounding towns. The story orbits around a family caught between love and law, where the wall of concrete that confines the father also becomes a catalyst for the sons’ restless yearning for freedom. The atmosphere is tense and oppressive, a landscape that mirrors the moral wilderness the characters must navigate.
Donny Tison, a diligent pre‑law student, clings to the promise of a steady future with his high‑school sweetheart Carol. Yet his brothers, Ray—the hard‑working farmhand—and Ricky, the drifting younger sibling, grow increasingly convinced that their father, Gary Tison, is a victim of a broken system. Their dialogue crackles with youthful defiance and uneasy loyalty, pulling Donny into a vortex of doubt where he balances his aspirations against the magnetic pull of family duty. The brothers’ differing temperaments—Ray’s practicality, Ricky’s impulsiveness, and Donny’s cautious idealism—set the stage for a fraught alliance that teeters on the edge of recklessness.
The film unfolds with a gritty, documentary‑like realism, echoing the true‑crime roots of the narrative. Its tone is both intimate and relentless, capturing the claustrophobic pressure of a secret plan against a backdrop of an all‑encompassing manhunt that looms on the horizon. As the brothers contemplate the impossible, the story asks how far blood will bind a family and what shadows emerge when desperate hope collides with the harsh truths of the world around them.
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