July 31, 1999 -- "Shiloh II: Shiloh Season is one of those films you wish you could have every Hollywood producer, and their kids, view just once so they could see how it ought to be done.

Most of the movies made for kids these days are so pointless. This one has a clue and a point to it. It even has a message. The trouble with it is finding an appropriate audience for it. The movie may not have enough action in it for some kids and it may be a little too sophisticated for others.

The story is presented in a very quiet, unhurried way. Set in the country, it moves at a bucolic pace. Adding to the calming effect are the steady performances of veteran actor Michael Moriarty ("Courage Under Fire") who plays the father, Ray Preston, Zachary Browne who plays the boy, Marty Preston, and Ann Dowd ("Apt Pupil"), who plays the mother, Louise Preston. These are very believable characters, very down to earth.

The story picks up where the first movie left off, with the cute little beagle, Shiloh, having fully recovered from his physical injuries, but still suffering emotional scars inflicted by a mean neighbor, Judd Travers, (Scott Wilson of "G.I. Jane"). One of Travers' dogs has to be held for rabies observation and he blames the Prestons. He insists that Shiloh is still his dog and he wants him back for use as a hunting dog.

The dispute between Travers and the Prestons escalates, highlighted by an attack by one of Travers' dogs on a Preston child. The quiet, gentle way this conflict is resolved is almost unheard of in contemporary films. The only thing I've seen like it recently is a conflict resolution in "Babe: Pig in the City."

The story, based, like the first, on a book by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, argues that the golden rule is the best means to find the good in people and that people can change. The film demonstrates this not as some kind of magic potion, but as a believable solution to conflict resolution, requiring patience, conviction and courage.

Much of the success of the film is based on the excellent performance of Scott Wilson as the mean neighbor who is at the center of the conflict. Wilson makes an excellent villain, a role which he has excelled at for years, since he played a killer in "In Cold Blood." The dog, Frannie, is also very convincing. It really looks like it was beaten and is still scared of Travers. Academy award winner Rod Steiger also appears in the film, reprising his role in the original film.

Even though this film is so low key it is almost somnambulant, it gets the message across very effectively. Its characters are also well developed. This is a family film of such quality that it would be difficult for anyone to find fault with it. It rates a B for kids and a C+ for adults, who will probably find it a bit overlong.

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