The interesting thing about this film is the story by William A. Ullman, who has a clear eye for poignant realism and is always consistent with a sharp psychological intelligence, and he stands as far from the Hollywood dream factory output of box office candy as anyone could ever do. This is a grim story of a prison ward who is about to be set free on parole, when his concern about his fellow prisoners gets him into trouble. His interference in a bar brawl undoes his parole, and it will get worse. When a fellow prisoner tries to escape he tries to stop him, while that prisoner gets time enough to kill a prison guard before he is shot to death. Our fellow gets indicted for the murder and is actually brought to the electric chair.
The film begins with the executioner and his second thoughts about his job, which isn't very funny, we follow a detailed execution from the beginning, and the film ends up where it started, with another execution, which becomes one execution too much for the executioner, who quits his job.
The story is very polyphonic with many characters involved, the direction is lousy, but the film is definitely worth watching for the sake of the story. It's an early and astute attack on the death penalty, showing how easy it was for an innocent to become executed by mistake. No one is buried alive here, but the whole system is by understatement accused of being an institution for burying people alive.
The film begins with the executioner and his second thoughts about his job, which isn't very funny, we follow a detailed execution from the beginning, and the film ends up where it started, with another execution, which becomes one execution too much for the executioner, who quits his job.
The story is very polyphonic with many characters involved, the direction is lousy, but the film is definitely worth watching for the sake of the story. It's an early and astute attack on the death penalty, showing how easy it was for an innocent to become executed by mistake. No one is buried alive here, but the whole system is by understatement accused of being an institution for burying people alive.