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Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, Noel Francis, Preston S. Foster ... see more see more... , Edward McNamara , Allen Jenkins , Sheila Terry , Sally Blane , David Landau , James Bell , John Wray , Hale Hamilton , Robert Warwick , Louise Carter , Robert McWade , Everett Brown , William Le Maire , Edward Arnold , Erville Alderson , Irving Bacon , Reginald Barlow , Frederick Burton , Berton Churchill , Wallis Clark , George Pat Collins , of Commerce , Douglas Dumbrille , Edward Ellis , Lew Kelly , Jack LaRue , Edward J. Le Saint , Walter Long , Charles B. Middleton , William Pawley , Willard Robertson , Charles Sellon , Lee Shumway , George Cooper , Dennis O'Keefe , Harry Woods , J. Frank Glendon

Warner Bros.' hard-hitting chain-gang movie was a faithful adaptation of the similarly titled autobiography of Robert Elliot Burns. Paul Muni plays World War I veteran James Allen, whose plans of beco... read more read more...ming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Flat broke, Allen is forced to pawn his war medals, which have become a glut on the market. When Allen is innocently involved in a restaurant holdup, the police don't buy his story that the robber (Preston S. Foster) had forced him to clean out the cash register, and Allen is sentenced to ten years on a chain gang. The brutal scenes that follow make the later chain-gang movie Cool Hand Luke (1967) look like a picnic in the country. Unable to stand any more, Allen escapes and heads to Chicago. Using an alias, he builds a new life for himself and within five years is the respected president of a bridge-building firm. His landlady (Glenda Farrell), learning about his past, forces Allen to marry her. When he falls in love with another girl (Helen Vinson) and asks for a divorce, his wife turns him over to the authorities. The real-life Robert Elliot Burns was still a fugitive when he wrote his exposé of the chain-gang system; the publication of Burns' book led to the abolishment of that system and an erasure of Burns' sentence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Unrated, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy

Release Date: November 19, 1932

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DVD Release Date: May 10, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (195)

  • FrizzDrop
    April 3, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    If you're not interested in the volatile performance of Paul Muni, the violence of a 30's chaingang, or a morally obscured storyline, then watch this film for its historical and cultural aspects. This film caused an uproar during the heyday of the Hays Code for its portrayal of c... read morehain gangs as abusive and negligent means of torture, which at the time was the preferred course of punishment in America. Muni is the original Andy Dufresne, innocent of his conviction, yet forced into hard labor, finally being prodded to escape. The only difference between Andy and James Allen (Muni), being the nature of the escapes, one leading to redemption, another forcing an honest man into a life of crime in order to escape the tragic circumstances of a deadly prison sentence. Besides that, Muni, one of the great stage and screen actors of his time, blew me away with his emotional variance. A gem among Hollywood treasure.
  • dwt5411
    February 5, 2011
    dwt5411
    One of the greatest and most famous of the social imperative films of the pre-Hayes Code 1930's, I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang depicts a man's decade long battle to attain the unattainable, peace. A truly fantastic Paul Muni plays James Allen, a returning WWI vet who gets wr... read moreongfully arrested and sentenced to ten years hard labor at an abhorrent southern work camp. There he -- and 1930's audiences -- witnessed the atrocities of the chain gang institution in the American south. And that was the point -- to expose its cruelty and incite reform. For all its cynicism, this Mervyn Leroy classic is still an absorbing and exciting portrait of one man's hell: from combat to prison to fugitive life, and then finally to the shadowy, soul-sucked, madness that comes with a life fraught with such hardship. Muni's tour-de-force induces not only sympathy, but anger toward the heartless miscarriages of justice that condemn Allen throughout the film. I was by turns enthralled, enlightened, heartbroken, and frustrated by his journey from start to finish. Leroy's 1932 film is a fiery indictment of the chain gang hypocrisy that often lacks subtlety, but never power.
  • gokhale1
    October 13, 2010
    gokhale1
    A pre-code era picture, "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" is a kind of film one could easily pass. For one, it is from the early 30s and two: many of us haven't really heard about Paul Muni or seen him on screen, have we!

    I saw Muni first in Scarface (1932) and then in this.... read more And am I glad I saw this film, 'cause it was such sheer pleasure to see Muni perform in this gripping film about a man named James Allen (Muni) wrongly accused of committing a robbery.

    Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, this film is based on a true story, more specifically, Robert Elliott Burns's autobiography, 'I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang'. It tells a man's long struggle in prison after he is sentenced to ten years on a brutal Southern chain gang.

    I was surprised to see that in spite of being from the 30s, this film presents a very disturbing picture of the 'chain gang' prison life and the horrible way the prisoners are treated. And all the while your heart goes out to James Allen who suffers in silence but knows that he has to escape or die trying.

    The story moves on in an unpredictable fashion and keeps the viewer hooked. There are plenty of edge-of-the-seat moments and superbly executed scenes. Mentioning any here would take away all the fun, so I'll leave that to the viewer.

    Paul Muni delivers a breathtaking performance as James Allen. After watching this film I was convinced that he was one of the greatest actors to grace our planet. Sure, we all talk about Pacino, De Niro, Brando, etc. all great actors as we know them, but how many of us have explored the era that was..much before these legendary actors came into picture?

    Watch Paul Muni in this and you will know what I mean. What sincerity, what charisma! He is nothing short of brilliant!

    This dark and haunting film deserves to be watched and is one that shouldn't be missed by any connoisseur of quality cinema.
  • bottcorecords1
    April 2, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    A fun, light-hearted romp through... ahh, just kidding. This is a gritting, depressing film about the horrors of the chain gang prison camps of the south in the early 20th century. Based on the auto-biographical novel by Robert E. Burns, the story follows James Allen (Paul Muni... read more), an out-of-work veteran who gets arrested for stealing $5, and is sentenced to 10 years of hard labor. Chained at the leg, he's beaten by guards, hit with chains, and worked nearly to death (in fact, he watches men around him die from this). Finally, after years of suffering, he manages to escape to Chicago, where he makes a new life for himself. He becomes a successful millionaire, but his new wife begins to make trouble for him. Rather than lose his money, she turns him over to the authorities. But the Chicago police refuse to extradite him to the south, and it's only after they agree to suspend his sentence after 90 days and give him a clean record that he agrees to turn himself over to them. But they go back on their word and send him back to the chain gang, this time for an indefinite time. Allen seems driven mad by the prospect, it's not justice they're after but revenge, he says. Some of the acting is pretty bad, mainly with the brother/preacher and the first wife (but her problem is the corny "gangster" dialogue she spouts off), but Paul Muni is quite good, especially in the scene that closes the movie. It's a positively eerie moment as he slips into the shadows, driven to the brink of madness. The film is a powerful statement about the injustice in the world, and especially one of the cruel injustices of it's day.
  • webalina
    July 19, 2009
    webalina
    The granddaddy of all the "prison brutality" movies. Cool Hand Luke, Chattahoochee and scores of others (including about a million "women in chains" pictures) owe their lives to this film.

    Paul Muni -- always wonderful -- is totally believable as James Allen, an unemployed ma... read moren who is sent to the penitentiary for a crime he is only incidentally involved in. And what a pen it is -- the beds are wooden planks, the food is garbage in the most realistic sense (pig fat anyone?), and nightly beatings for the most minor of infractions -- such as not getting permission from the chain gang guard to wipe the sweat from your brow -- are the rule rather than the exception. He eventually escapes, changes his name and makes good with his life. But the specter of capture is always right behind him.

    The violence of the prison guards is sudden and shocking even for our time. It must have been horrifying in 1932. Glenda Farrell took a break from her sassy broad with a heart of gold image to play Allen's backstabbing golddigger girlfriend. Whlle the film looks good throughout, the last shot puts it for me on a list of best endings. It supposedly came about by one of those wonderful Hollywood accidents, and it's a keeper. Not only is it technologically memorable, but the message behind it...that the best of men can be beat down under the right circumstances...is a lesson to remember.

    For a similar story told from the female point of view, "Caged", with Eleanor Parker, is definitely worth a look.
  • jjnxn
    July 3, 2008
    jjnxn
    Excellent social message drama, something that could only be made in the early 30's and then not again until the 60's but without the same grit. Haunting final scene.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 13, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    The movie which changed American chain-gang practices by showing the harshness of it all. I didn't like the melodramatic "Fugitive" scenes in the real world, and wanted more chain gang scenes, to show how long it went on. The dames in this movie weren't much comfort. The look on ... read morePaul Muni's face at the end is pure horror. It was no fun seeing a man being whipped.
  • staindslaved
    December 19, 2011
    staindslaved
    An excellent film with challenging moral questions about redemption, ethics and morals. Paul Muni does a very decent job in the title role as a member of a southern chain gang who escapes to the city and, under a new alias, makes himself a successful and prominent member of soci... read moreety. Once his real identity is discovered a giant legal battle begins as one state wants the man to finish his prison sentence and another fights for his freedom. The man committed a crime, he was judged by his peers and sentenced to time. He did not serve that time. Does the fact that he made an honest man of himself excuse his past sins? Although Paul Muni does a good job I can't help but think his lack of star power is also the problem. If James Cagney or Humphrey Boogard were in this excellent role I think this film and their performance in it would both be considered one of the all time greats.
  • HuskersNC949597
    April 10, 2010
    HuskersNC949597
    Wow, how is it this page doesn't give Paul Muni top billing? He was the main character, you know. Anyway, pretty good crime drama of a man wrongly accused, however I wonder how stupid the world of this movie is: the guy was forced at gunpoint to empty the register, that doesn't... read more constitute theft really, does it? I don't think chain gangs are a good thing but I sometimes wonder what people really WANT from our legal system? If I am to believe some movies, 100% of people in prison are innocent.
  • wilmothoudini
    March 4, 2009
    wilmothoudini
    This is truly remarkable for the time it was made. Social dramas of the early 30s are rarely this interesting affecting without the pre-code novelty, which really isn't a draw here. Paul Muni is genuinely affecting, his escape, genuinely exciting, and the ending genuinely haunti... read moreng. Probably one of my favorite endings ever both visually and story-wise.

View All I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang Reviews

Critic Reviews

Don Druker
February 10, 2012
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

Based on a true story, its style is simple, direct, forceful -- even after more than six decades. Full Review

Variety Staff
October 18, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is a picture with guts. It grips with its stark realism and packs lots of punch. Full Review

Gabe Leibowitz
February 27, 2010
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

There's enough here to make I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang worthwhile, but its problems are deep enough to keep it a long way from sniffing greatness. Full Review

Matthew Sorrento
February 2, 2010
Matthew Sorrento, Bright Lights Film Journal

The film suggests the denial of the common worker, whose service to industry is only as worthy as his social status. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 17, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

One of the stronget Depression era's social protest films, this expose shattered audiences in its harrowing depiction of guards' brutalities and other inhuman conditions of prison chain gangs. Full Review

Kim Newman
June 2, 2006
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Suprisingly no-holds-barred portrait of institutional bullying for such an early film. Full Review

February 9, 2006
Time Out

Muni gives a brilliant performance as a regular guy wrongly convicted of murder and subjected to the hardships and beatings of a dehumanising chain gang regime. Full Review

Jeremiah Kipp
May 22, 2005
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine

The prison scenes are blatantly manipulative-and effective-but Fugitive really takes off during an intense escape sequence. Full Review

Don Willmott
April 30, 2005
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com

a dark and thrilling story that's all the more gripping because it's based on a true story Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
December 21, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Paul Muni gives a heart-wrenching performance. Full Review

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