Here we have the crazy idea of breaking into San Quentin Prison.
But that's what Bill Judlow (Jack Palance) feels he's got to do to free his murderous twin brother, Arnie. And he's doing it with the help of his sexy sister-in-law, Ruth (Barbara Lang).
We realize early on that the plan makes no sense. The more we learn about Arnie, the more we realize the best place for him is permanently behind bars. As Bill risks everything to sneak in and set up the escape plan, we quickly see it would be vintage Arnie to slip out ahead of time and abandon him there.
Palance is the best thing about this off-beat noir. He's best when trying to fit in to a regimented penitentiary environment that is foreign to him. And he does mess up along the way, like when he lights a cigarette in the mess hall -- "I forgot" -- and doesn't recognize his own bunk. (Timothy Carey is great in the bit part of Arnie's cellmate. Does anyone exude insanity better?)
We also get some wonderful work from Harold J. Stone as the smarmily lusty, corrupt jail guard Nova.
(In researching Palance on Wikipedia, I learned that he was the son of an immigrant coal miner in Lattimer Mines, Pa. A description of the Lattimer Massacre is definitely worth reading. Yes, this happened in turn-of-the-20th-century America.)
But that's what Bill Judlow (Jack Palance) feels he's got to do to free his murderous twin brother, Arnie. And he's doing it with the help of his sexy sister-in-law, Ruth (Barbara Lang).
We realize early on that the plan makes no sense. The more we learn about Arnie, the more we realize the best place for him is permanently behind bars. As Bill risks everything to sneak in and set up the escape plan, we quickly see it would be vintage Arnie to slip out ahead of time and abandon him there.
Palance is the best thing about this off-beat noir. He's best when trying to fit in to a regimented penitentiary environment that is foreign to him. And he does mess up along the way, like when he lights a cigarette in the mess hall -- "I forgot" -- and doesn't recognize his own bunk. (Timothy Carey is great in the bit part of Arnie's cellmate. Does anyone exude insanity better?)
We also get some wonderful work from Harold J. Stone as the smarmily lusty, corrupt jail guard Nova.
(In researching Palance on Wikipedia, I learned that he was the son of an immigrant coal miner in Lattimer Mines, Pa. A description of the Lattimer Massacre is definitely worth reading. Yes, this happened in turn-of-the-20th-century America.)