Two of the greatest 1930s heavyweights show up here in James Cagney and George Raft but this is a major disappointment.
The subpar script is a moralizing tale which is actually about 30 years ahead of its time in 1939 telling stories about corrupt prison officials and brutal guards. 30 years before Attica.
But the story meanders into utter impossibility with a storyline which is impossible to believe and the direction falters. The dialogue is folksy for a 1939 prison tale.
Not a dame in sight for 35 minutes. Perhaps five minutes in the whole movie shows the one woman in the film.
Tough to take.
One of those scripts which tries to do too much - too ambitious - I'm sure when Cagney and Raft read the script they thought this would be a much better picture.
Not a lot of compelling reasons to watch aside from Cagney and Raft. Very good performances by both - one of the few times I can remember seeing Raft with his longish hair down and not all greased up or under a hat.
The subpar script is a moralizing tale which is actually about 30 years ahead of its time in 1939 telling stories about corrupt prison officials and brutal guards. 30 years before Attica.
But the story meanders into utter impossibility with a storyline which is impossible to believe and the direction falters. The dialogue is folksy for a 1939 prison tale.
Not a dame in sight for 35 minutes. Perhaps five minutes in the whole movie shows the one woman in the film.
Tough to take.
One of those scripts which tries to do too much - too ambitious - I'm sure when Cagney and Raft read the script they thought this would be a much better picture.
Not a lot of compelling reasons to watch aside from Cagney and Raft. Very good performances by both - one of the few times I can remember seeing Raft with his longish hair down and not all greased up or under a hat.