Revolt in the Big House (1958)

Gannon is an imprisoned racketeer kingpin who tries to manipulate his young cellmate into staging a riot and prison break, but the cellmate tries to back out when he realizes other inmates ... See full summary »

Director:

R.G. Springsteen

Writers:

Daniel James, Eugène Lourié

Stars:

Gene Evans, Robert Blake, Timothy Carey

Cast

Cast overview:
Gene Evans	...	Lou Gannon
Robert Blake	...	Rudy Hernandez
Timothy Carey	...	Ed 'Bugsy' Kyle
John Qualen	...	Doc
Sam Edwards	...	Al
John Dennis	...	Red
Walter Barnes	...	Guard Capt. Starkey
Frank Richards	...	Jake
Emile Meyer	...	Warden
Arline Hunter	...	Girl

Storyline

Gannon is an imprisoned racketeer kingpin who tries to manipulate his young cellmate into staging a riot and prison break, but the cellmate tries to back out when he realizes other inmates may be killed in the process.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | riot | jail break

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Taglines:

The Biggest, Toughest Thriller Of Them All! A raw, violent world of caged men unleashed! Killers and lifers blasting over the big wall!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Crime

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mit dem Messer im Rücken

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 7 (2002)

User Reviews

Must-See Prison Movie

This B-grade prison movie really packs a wallop, thanks to committed performances from a cast featuring Gene Evans, Tim Carey and Robert Blake. A stock story is brought to convincing, exciting life as hardened criminal Gene Evans is thrown into the "Big House". Right off the bat, he organizes a crashout. But he has other things on his mind as well. Routine as it may at first seem, this movie holds a number of surprises that make well worth anyone's time. Evans is solid as ever and expert at taking charge of the situation. He has no trouble standing up to and intimidating Tim Carey (a feat in itself). But the most impressive performance comes from young Robert Blake: his subtle use of accent and his consistency of character show true acting talent. Blake is the heart of this film while Evans is the brazen brains of it. Also on hand are stalwarts John Qualen, Emile Meyer and others, all directed by R.G. Springsteen with powerhouse impact. Great stuff. Yet another B movie that could use a restored issue on DVD.