Another of the late-stage Perry Mason TV movies starring the inimitable Raymond Burr fighting crime and bringing justice to the oppressed in his twilight years. I always get a chuckle out of the way that Mason seems to just fall into cases and THE CASE OF THE DEFIANT DAUGHTER is no exception. He's vacationing in Las Vegas, of all places, when a brutal murder sees a suspect arrested and the man's precocious daughter approaching Mason for help.
DEFIANT DAUGHTER works well enough as an episode of the series as the plot seems to tie together better than in some of the other offerings. There's plenty of mysterious things going on here so things are never slow, and an ensemble cast helps to bring the proceedings to like. Rod Taylor-lookalike John Posey is a sympathetic fall guy and Jenny Lewis as his daughter isn't too annoying, although it would have been fun to see her namesake Juliette Lewis in the same role.
Veteran support comes in the form of Roberts Culp and Vaughn, with Kevin Tighe and Ken Kercheval joining forces as a quartet of old-timers. William R. Moses has more to do here and even though he's involved in an action scene or two, his sub-plot seems to have more to do with the actual story rather than feeling extraneous as elsewhere. Barbara Hale doesn't have much screen time but exudes warmth in her minor part, while Burr himself is full of charisma.
DEFIANT DAUGHTER works well enough as an episode of the series as the plot seems to tie together better than in some of the other offerings. There's plenty of mysterious things going on here so things are never slow, and an ensemble cast helps to bring the proceedings to like. Rod Taylor-lookalike John Posey is a sympathetic fall guy and Jenny Lewis as his daughter isn't too annoying, although it would have been fun to see her namesake Juliette Lewis in the same role.
Veteran support comes in the form of Roberts Culp and Vaughn, with Kevin Tighe and Ken Kercheval joining forces as a quartet of old-timers. William R. Moses has more to do here and even though he's involved in an action scene or two, his sub-plot seems to have more to do with the actual story rather than feeling extraneous as elsewhere. Barbara Hale doesn't have much screen time but exudes warmth in her minor part, while Burr himself is full of charisma.