A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
prison
war veteran
blackmail
hamburger
based on true story
chain gang
fugitive
pre-code
escaped prisoner
reverend
tradesman
prison system
prison brutality
prison life
prison reform
innocent in jail
reformed criminal
escapee
forced labor
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Paul Muni
James Allen
Glenda Farrell
Marie Woods
Helen Vinson
Helen
Noel Francis
Linda
Preston Foster
Pete
Allen Jenkins
Barney Sykes
Berton Churchill
The Judge
Edward Ellis
Bomber Wells
David Landau
The Warden
Hale Hamilton
Rev. Allen
Sally Blane
Alice
Louise Carter
Mother
Crew
Mervyn LeRoy
Director
Howard J. Green
Screenplay
Hal B. Wallis
Producer
Orry-Kelly
Costume Design
Popular Reviews
84 reviews
Old Sport
10.0★ · 06/08/26
Pre-Code films go so hard oh my God.
Pre-Code films go so hard oh my God.
Baeaeggs
9.0★ · 04/24/26
Probably the only man with worse luck than the guy from Detour
Probably the only man with worse luck than the guy from Detour
Doog
8.0★ · 03/18/26
It’s amazing how much plot you can cram into a film when you actually try to be economical with your storytelling. This is a sprawling epic of a film told in 90 minutes. Really, really great stuff!!
Format: streaming (criterion channel)
It’s amazing how much plot you can cram into a film when you actually try to be economical with your storytelling. This is a sprawling epic of a film told in 90 minutes. Really, really great stuff!!
Format: streaming (criterion channel)
christy
10.0★ · 03/08/26
A very, very important film with an incredible performance from Paul Muni and great direction. It truly exemplifies how bleak and utterly hopeless the world can be. The ending will stick with me.
A very, very important film with an incredible performance from Paul Muni and great direction. It truly exemplifies how bleak and utterly hopeless the world can be. The ending will stick with me.
