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*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Try as they may, the women prisoners are never really convincing criminals. Top-billed Sally Eilers and Anne Shirley are suited to the roles, because they are the ones you root for and they are not criminals at heart. In fact, Shirley is taking the rap for a theft her boyfriend committed, so that he may continue with his studies. But Lee Patrick, the tough convict who supposedly "runs" the prisoners, and who plans an escape with some vague, half-baked ideas, is just miscast. Perhaps I'm just used to her roles as a congenial best friend to the stars. The one woman who scores well is Esther Dale, as the vindictive head matron, resentful and threatened by the new young doctor, Louis Hayward, ordering tests she's opposed to on inmates, and paying much attention to Eilers. Hayward is always pleasant to watch even though here he is a bit unprofessional in his actions. As for the escape, whoever heard of women escaping from prison? Perhaps they are more apt to accept their lot rather than scheme to get out. In any case, the escape sequence showed a poorly thought out, haphazard plan. The only time I got involved in the women's plight involved unfairness, such as when the women gang up on Eilers thinking she was a stoolie, or when Patrick plants stolen drugs on her (for which she gets two weeks of solitary) because she would not cooperate with her plan to escape. I also was upset when poor innocent Shirley gets shot and killed in the escape and riot that followed. And the ending was pretty hokey and very unrealistic.
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