I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

directed by Mervyn LeRoy
List(s):"Movie Two"
Category: "Suspense"
Year of Release:1932
Date Added:01/31/2015
Date Watched:05/30/2023
Description:James Allen (Paul Muni) returns from WWI and looks for a job. On an invitation from a stranger, Allen accompanies him to a diner, not knowing the man plans on robbing it. Allen is caught and convicted to 10 years of hard labor on a chain gang in Georgia. Bitter because he is innocent, and in horror over the cruelty of the system, he escapes. He makes his way to Chicago and becomes a well-liked and successful civil engineer. A woman, Marie, finds out about his past and blackmails him into marrying her. When life with her gets so miserable, and he's fallen in love with Linda, who works at his company, he kicks Marie out. She reports him and he's arrested. Illinois authorities don't want to turn him over to Georgia, but the Georgia governor promises a pardon in 90 days if Allen surrenders himself. He does, but the 90 days turns into a year and then indefinitely. Allen escapes again and disappears. He visits Linda one time to explain that they can't be together and that he now survives by stealing.
My Rating:6

Reviews for I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

Review - I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

A good movie, but I don't really watch movies to be depressed. Apparently, the Georgia penal system really was this cruel and corrupt and the movie is based on the experiences of a guy who stole $5 worth of food to survive. In the real case, the guy was given refuge in New Jersey, but couldn't leave the state because Georgia still wanted him.
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