A Time for Killing

This 1967 American Western film, directed by Phil Karlson and Roger Corman, is based on the novel "The Southern Blade" by Nelson and Shirley Wolford. Set during the final days of the American Civil War, the story follows a group of Confederate prisoners of war led by Captain Dorrit Bentley (George Hamilton) who escape from a Union camp and head toward the Mexican border. Along the way, they kill a Union courier carrying news that the war has ended, but Bentley conceals this information from his men to continue his personal vendetta. Major Tom Wolcott (Glenn Ford), the Union officer in charge of the camp, pursues the escapees, unaware that the conflict is officially over. Complications arise when Bentley captures Emily Biddle (Inger Stevens), Wolcott's wife, and assaults her. The film delves into themes of honor, revenge, and moral ambiguity amidst the chaos of war. Notably, the film features Harrison Ford in his first credited role as Lieutenant Shaffer.