John Garfield was at his best here in this 1940 prison drama. He is a cocky individual, too sure of himself due to political ties, who soon finds himself in prison for robbery.
He thinks he can play the system but soon finds out otherwise by Warden Pat O'Brien. Garfield is tough, but also quite realistic.
Burgess Meredith plays a college graduate also in prison who leads an ill-fated escape attempt which the Garfield character refuses to participate in due to his fear that bad things always befall him on Saturday.
Ann Sheridan plays the faithful girlfriend, and pulls out all the stops in the death scene with Garfield.
This film subtly is anti-death penalty. It brings out how a dimwitted person was executed for a police killing during the attempted breakout. It also showed how Garfield paid the ultimate price for a murder he didn't do. He just wouldn't be believed as circumstances warranted that.
He thinks he can play the system but soon finds out otherwise by Warden Pat O'Brien. Garfield is tough, but also quite realistic.
Burgess Meredith plays a college graduate also in prison who leads an ill-fated escape attempt which the Garfield character refuses to participate in due to his fear that bad things always befall him on Saturday.
Ann Sheridan plays the faithful girlfriend, and pulls out all the stops in the death scene with Garfield.
This film subtly is anti-death penalty. It brings out how a dimwitted person was executed for a police killing during the attempted breakout. It also showed how Garfield paid the ultimate price for a murder he didn't do. He just wouldn't be believed as circumstances warranted that.