Jailbreak

Many films were like this one, where you can find all the ingredients that you usually have in prison films. I thought to find Barton Mc Lane as the warden of this jail. I don't know why, but each time I see Barton McLane's name in a crime film, I imagine him as a prison warden. This one is short, but not on the same scale as the best films of Warner. But Nick Grinde is not Robert Florey either; Florey who was an excellent B director for Warner in the forties, and thirties too. However Nick Grinde was a director whose stuff should be seen again, just to check if there is anything worth. It is absolutely possible. Some elements here reminded me a westrn from 1968: FIVE CARDS STUD.

Prison flick. When Mike Egan ( Joe King) gets sent off to jail, reporter (Jane Rogers) wants to interview him to get the real story. turns out he was hiding from the gang he ratted out. and then the bodies start piling up. the warden tries to get the men to talk, but no-one is talking. Barton MacLane gets top billing, but he had secondary roles in this one, as well as Treasure of Sierra Madre and Maltese Falcon. Pop Anderson (Henry Hall.. born in 1876! ) tries to tell the cops what happened, but gets knocked off himself. there is a jail break. the ending is interesting, but just silly. when the reporter figures out who-dunnit, he takes his time talking. the lights go out, and ... Directed by Nick Grinde. he started working towards the end of the silents, and directed mostly talkers. no locations listed, but it appears they used actual prisons for some footage. too bad they didn't document filming on location or using stock footage. it's ok. warner brothers shortie, at exactly 60 minutes. lowwwww budget. no big names in here.

Jailbreak is a brisk, no-nonsense crime drama that punches above its weight for a B-picture from the 1930s. Clocking in at just over an hour, it wastes no time plunging into a world of crooked cops, reporters, and quick-tempered cons.

The pacing is sharp, the dialogue crackles with pre-noir grit, and there's a satisfying sense of urgency in every scene. While the production values are modest, the film makes the most of its confined settings, turning shadows and tension into real atmosphere.

The performances are straightforward but effective - the kind of hard-nosed acting you'd expect from the era's second-tier studios, where character types get right to the point. There's no fluff here, and that's part of the appeal.

Jailbreak might not be a household name, but it's a solid gem for fans of early crime thrillers who appreciate compact storytelling and a dose of 1930s grit.

Although Barton MacLane is top billed in Jailbreak as the tough detective he does not solve the two murders that occur in the state prison. That honor goes to Craig Reynolds your typical wise guy reporter character so popular n movies.

A convict about to be paroled and the prison librarian are both murdered inside the prison. The affair becomes a political football with the governor being held responsible for his appointee Joseph Crehan's performance as warden.

A good deal more plot than usual involved in his fast moving B picture from Warner Brothers.