Directed: Mervyn LeRoy

Year: 1932

Nominated: Best Film, Best Actor – Paul Muni

Plot in 25 Words: A Soldier ends up on a chain gang before escaping and becoming a minor celebrity. He ends up back on the gang and again escapes.

In My Opinion: Wow. This was a bit of an eye-opener. I really had no idea about chain gangs. They’re real and look pretty fucking awful. No wonder the poor bastard escaped.

Twice.

A bit of county jail conman-ship and trickery which was quite entertaining.

I enjoyed the bleak ambiguous ending. It gave it a dark feel. Very criminal and noir.

Star Performer: Paul Muni – the only guy in the film I could put a face to.

Overall: I often complain about the bleak films I’ve been watching but for this movie it worked. Note to self: Dark and depressing works well on a chain gang.