MovieChat Forums > I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) Discussion > Criminally underrated

Criminally underrated

posted 18 years ago by classicmoviecomedy
21 replies | jump to latest

Why this film doesn't receive more praise is beyond me. Perhaps because it doesn't fit neatly into one genre (notice how many "great films" of the 30s and 40s tend to be "genre" films?). It's part prison/crime drama, part social statement, with possibly tinges of the gangster film genre, at least in theory (although James Allen is no gangster).

It's one of the most powerful films I've ever seen. Well acted, brutally realistic.

Paul Muni is probably best known today for his later "historical" roles in films for Warner Bros., such as THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA and JUAREZ. (Of course, present day audiences may know him best as the original "Scarface"). In my opinion, this film offered him the performance of a lifetime.

[–] brackenhe 18 years ago

I agree with you that it's a great film but I do think that film buffs find this film one of the greatest films of the 30's. Which it is. One of Muni's greatest performances out of a lot of great performances.

[–] Shemarz7772 17 years ago

I guess cuz it's old? Most classic movies with hooplah are like from the 50's.

[–] pmccann847 17 years ago

I totally agree.

[–] pepperdoggie 17 years ago

Tremendous movie.

I've always been intrigued by the homages paid to it by two very different 1960s films, "Cool Hand Luke" (Luke's final escape is clearly a re-take on James Allen's second escape,) and Woody Allen's "Take the Money and Run" (the whole chain-gang sequence borrows from this film, especially the "whipping the shadow" sequence).

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] SnorrSm1989 17 years ago

I saw this movie for the first time last night on TCM, and I'm in awe. This movie truly reveals the circumstances in American prisons; the prisoners are taken from granted and, rather than to try to make them into "decent" people, their treatment is taken for granted, too, and there we go. Gangsters remain gangsters in the minds of the authorities and thus they remain gangsters in their own minds as well. I'd only seen Paul Muni once before, in Scarface; he certainly delivered an excellent performance in that movie, too, but here he was marvelous, one of the most complex, convincing, and powerful performances from the era (or from ANY era, really). I find it hard to believe that this masterpiece was made as early as in 1932, shortly after the invention of sound and at a time when few men in Hollywood had the backbones to deliver social commentary through their work.

[–] ionelx 16 years ago

This superb yet mostly unknown film is raw and uncensored- it predated the censorship era by just a year or so- and in fact if you look closely enough you might find a few "racy" sequences. Of course, the film is not at all about sex, and very little romance even. It's a true-to-life expose of the chain gang system that was prevalent in many states at the turn of the century. As a social commentary it is extremely powerful but not patronizing, and the final line, where the protagonist whispers, I steal, is numbing and unforgettable. This film should be viewed by film buffs, laypeople, and policymakers alike, as it truly goes to the heart of a justice system that is in many instances more criminal than the criminals it incarcerates. How many times have we seen stories about innocent men going to prison on scant evidence, or even trumped up charges? How many times have men gone to jail for a long time for comparably minor offenses, while much more consequential criminals have gotten off practically without a blemish to their record? This movie turns the tables- it disposes of the cliche that all criminals are deserving of their punishment- and shows that oftentimes too little light is shone upon the justice system.

This movie is especially relevant for those who would feel their government officials can do no wrong.

[–] mobman_123 16 years ago

I saw it again on TCM today and have to say that Paul Muni is one of the masters of facial expression. Doesn't even need to utter one word and you know what he is feeling at the times and places in the movie. There is almost something comical about some of his reactions, he is almost in awe that they're treating him this way. One of my favorite reactions is the one where he spends his first night in jail and when he doesn't wake up and pull the chain with everyone else, the guard just knocks him off his bed. Classic expression.

[–] Percivalx 16 years ago

I agree. Excellent screenplay and direction combined with an outstanding performance from Muni.

Let's see if you bastards can do 90.

[–] BwlBoy 16 years ago

An average score of 8.2 out of 10 does not constitute underrated.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] tommyuk 15 years ago

Yes and it's crazy that Shawshank Redemption is Number 1 in the top 250 and its derivitive of this movie

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] smrhyne-1 15 years ago

I think that Paul Muni should have won the Oscar for his performance in this movie. He lost to Charles Laughton in "The Private Life of Henry VIII". Laughton was good, but IMHO Muni was better

[–] nettwench 14 years ago

I love Charles Laughton but Muni was robbed! Robbed I tell you! Uh, He steals!

Love is the best, most insidious, most effective instrument of social repression