rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1932
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; produced by Hal B. Wallis; screenplay by Howard J. Green, Brown Holmes
Starring Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, Noel Francis, Preston Foster, Allen Jenkins
'I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang' is an impressive film, slightly dated, but still convincingly attacking a nation's jail policy from the past. Even without this meaning, the film on itself plays as a terriric dramatic thriller, being the standard for many "big escape"-films for the years to come.
Paul Muni stars as James Allen, coming home from WW-I. Tired of his working life in a factory, he hits the road to follow his dream in engineering. Due to his part in a robbery he is sentenced to a chain gang. He escapes, as the title gives away, to become a wealthy business man, as Allen James this time. Landlady Marie (Glenda Farrell), who finds out the truth about him, threatens to turn him in if he does not marry her.
Based on a true story written by Robert E. Burns the film makes a strong point againt chain gangs, but also against a system (or more systems) in general. Its depiction of cruelty and violence still works on the modern audience, even though it does not need to show things 'The Passion of the Christ' did. Director Mervyn LeRoy keeps the right pacing. Sometimes we get to see the events, sometimes he uses calendars and documents to let us know what is happening.
Paul Muni, almost always on screen, carries this terrific film all the way through. Ahead of its time in multiple ways, this is one of the better films emerging from the 1930s when it comes to combining serious subjects with entertainment - mostly in being a thriller. Sometimes it tries too hard to make a point, the last classic line is an example, but you can not help to feel for this character and the case the film makes for him.