38 felons escape the penitentiary, but six of them are on the same page. One, played by William Bendix, told the other five to meet up in a cave he knows about. But Bendix is wounded during the escape yet managed to make it to the cave and appears to be dying. The other five decide to leave Bendix behind and go their separate ways. But Bendix tells them he has 180 thousand dollars in stolen loot from a bank robbery hidden, and tells them if they will get him a doctor and take him along, he will cut them in as equal partners on the money. They agree. And thus begins their joint journey.
In the beginning, while they are in the cave, the escaped cons converse. You quickly find out about all of them. One is an embezzler, one was convicted of murder but says it was an accident and seems rather tame, one is crazy, and the other three are brute beasts of assorted varieties. What makes this film stand head and shoulders among other related prison break films is that the viciousness of these criminals is demonstrated time after time. Every time you think - Oh, I know what is going to happen here...This is your classic hostage situation, this is your classic "love of a good woman" scenario, etc., the film takes an abrupt turn you were not counting on and surprises you. And best of all it moves from scene to scene at a good pace and keeps you engaged. Even the ending is unexpected. I'd highly recommend this.
The production code was technically still in force in 1955, but it was showing some cracks, and some things were being shown and talked about here that would not have been just five years before. Also take note of William Talman as a homicidal maniac who quotes scripture, likes to listen to hymns, and seems to have something to prove when it comes to the opposite sex shortly before he plays D. A. Hamilton Burger on Perry Mason. His character seems like a forerunner to the Dirty Dozen's Maggott from twelve years in the future.
In the beginning, while they are in the cave, the escaped cons converse. You quickly find out about all of them. One is an embezzler, one was convicted of murder but says it was an accident and seems rather tame, one is crazy, and the other three are brute beasts of assorted varieties. What makes this film stand head and shoulders among other related prison break films is that the viciousness of these criminals is demonstrated time after time. Every time you think - Oh, I know what is going to happen here...This is your classic hostage situation, this is your classic "love of a good woman" scenario, etc., the film takes an abrupt turn you were not counting on and surprises you. And best of all it moves from scene to scene at a good pace and keeps you engaged. Even the ending is unexpected. I'd highly recommend this.
The production code was technically still in force in 1955, but it was showing some cracks, and some things were being shown and talked about here that would not have been just five years before. Also take note of William Talman as a homicidal maniac who quotes scripture, likes to listen to hymns, and seems to have something to prove when it comes to the opposite sex shortly before he plays D. A. Hamilton Burger on Perry Mason. His character seems like a forerunner to the Dirty Dozen's Maggott from twelve years in the future.