10 Made-For-Television Movies That Are Actually Worth Your Time

6. Tribes (1970)

Let's get the negative stigmas out there right away: it's a movie about boot camp, made at the height of the anti-Vietnam era, written by old men trying to be hip. With that kind of record, you'd expect it to be nothing but bad. You know what, though? It's not bad at all. The movie revolves around Marine Corps D.I. Drake (Darren McGavin) and one of his new recruits, Pvt. Adrian (Jan Michael-Vincent). Adrian is the archetypal hippie, complete with long hair, a pacifist attitude, and a heavy interest in meditation. Drake initially looks down his nose at Adrian. Adrian quickly becomes a model recruit, however, because his meditation helps him focus. Drake acts like he hates Adrian, but he secretly comes to respect Adrian. Unfortunately, Drake's fellow drill instructor, DePayster (Earl Holliman), has made it his mission to make Adrian's life miserable. Drake and DePayster butt heads throughout the film. Tribes isn't perfect. Jan Michael-Vincent seems to be sleepwalking through his performance, as does Earl Holliman. What really saves the film is Darren McGavin's brilliant acting. Of course, McGavin was given a great role by the writers (who managed to create a drill instructor who actually feels like a real human being). McGavin does a fantastic job making the character come to life, though. He manages to make us actually care about a drill instructor, which is a mean feat.