Wow,...this movie stars mostly second or third-tier actors but manages to be better than most of the prison films out there. Ann Devorak and Preston Foster (hardly household names) get top billing in this wonderful and intelligently written film about a guy who is set up for a murder he didn't commit. Relative unknown, John Beal, however is clearly the star of this film even though he got third billing! He was wonderful in the film BECAUSE he was not an obvious star and looked a lot like a common ordinary mug--a major plus for the film.
How Beal got set up for the robbery and multiple murder is pretty convincing and believable. You could really see how this poor sap got convicted and sent to Death Row based on the evidence at hand. And how this is all eventually unraveled is once again well-written and intelligent. Along the way, how uncaring and rigid the legal system is was revealed as well. In other words, after being convicted, new evidence that at least threw the original verdict into doubt was brought to light but no one along the chain of command would consider a reprieve or at least a delay! Again and again, evidence seemed to indicate there MIGHT be a conspiracy that sent him to prison but the governor, warden, police and the guards had many excuses why they did nothing. A pretty strong indictment of the system, but not so much that the film seems preachy or contrived.
Excellent acting, writing, direction and the avoidance of many of the standard prison movie clichés of the 1930s is why this film excels. A perfect example of a lower budget film that succeeds on every level.
How Beal got set up for the robbery and multiple murder is pretty convincing and believable. You could really see how this poor sap got convicted and sent to Death Row based on the evidence at hand. And how this is all eventually unraveled is once again well-written and intelligent. Along the way, how uncaring and rigid the legal system is was revealed as well. In other words, after being convicted, new evidence that at least threw the original verdict into doubt was brought to light but no one along the chain of command would consider a reprieve or at least a delay! Again and again, evidence seemed to indicate there MIGHT be a conspiracy that sent him to prison but the governor, warden, police and the guards had many excuses why they did nothing. A pretty strong indictment of the system, but not so much that the film seems preachy or contrived.
Excellent acting, writing, direction and the avoidance of many of the standard prison movie clichés of the 1930s is why this film excels. A perfect example of a lower budget film that succeeds on every level.