Customer Ratings & Reviews

Put Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, and director Jules Dassin in a prison noir drama, and you've got a classic. Lancaster played rough, tough roles, usually men with some sympathy underlying their dark sides. Here, he is a convict pitting himself against a sadistic prison guard, Hume Cronyn, playing against type. The film wastes no time, going from a tense beginning to a riveting finish in 98 minutes. It's in black-and-white and doesn't show blood or special effects, but for those who can appreciate movies that told a story and showed characterization, this is one of the best prison dramas, ranking along side "I Am a Fugitive on a Chain Gang" and "Cool Hand Luke," in its portrayal of desperate men behind bars. Criterion does its usual excellent job with a 4k blu-ray restoration, which has commentary and other special features. Yes, it has subtitles, which I find particularly helpful to make sure I get all the dialogue. There's more, but see for yourself.