Macon County Line (1974) review

Brothers Chris (Alan Vint) and Wayne (Jesse Vint), on two week leave from serving in the Air Force, have fun in New Orleans, mess with the police, pick up hitchhiker Jenny (Cheryl Waters), their vehicle breaks down ... and later are hunted after by Deputy Reed Morgan (Max Baer Jr.), who mistakenly thinks they murdered his wife.  This was apparently a drive-in hit back in the day, but even with a reasonable running time it dawdles entirely too much (with its roundabout "narrative") and it's unfortunate when the 'most sympathetic' figures in it are small-time criminals: Morgan's not only an authoritarian (who sends his son to military school) but a racist ... and the "other guys" are rapists and killers.  To its credit, it does have this seedy Southern Gothic atmosphere to it that tricked me into thinking they shot it in the American South ... but no, it was made in California.  If you can lie about it being based on a true story, I suppose you can lie about its location too.