Native American actor Will Sampson is top-billed as an Arizona state trooper, known to his companions as "Relentless" because of his dogged determination in bringing in lawbreakers. Sampson is on the trail of a gang of well-armed bank bandits, who have murdered his uncle and taken a woman (Marianna Hill) hostage. Encamping in the mountains during a raging blizzard, and keeping their hostage in full view of their pursuers as a human shield, the robbers are certain that they'll be allowed to escape. But they've reckoned without Sampson, who knows the mountain country better than any man in the state. Adapted from a novel by Brian Garfield, Relentless was the pilot film for a never-sold series starring Sampson, who'd recently attained celebrity for his co-starring role in the Oscar-winning One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
--Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
