Excellent, smart action film.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Back in the mid-1930s, Warner Brothers came out with a shockingly brutal and absorbing drama about the evils of chain gangs. Paul Muni's performance and the script for "I Was a Fugitive From a Chain Gang" were superb and the film has held up great over the years. Because of this, films like "Blackmail" seem incredibly bland and pale in comparison. When this MGM film begins, John Ingram (Edward G. Robinson) is a successful and well respected man whose job it is to put out oil fires. Unfortunately, he's also a fugitive from some Southern chain gang-- an innocent man who couldn't prove this but managed to escape. Since then, assuming a new identity, he's gone on to make a productive life and a nice family. However, when a scumbag (Gene Lockhart) comes to town, Ingram is in trouble. While he's just asking for a job, this guy is a crook and is the guy who is actually responsible for the crime Ingram was arrested for years ago. So far, while the plot is hard to believe, it is worth seeing. What happens next, however, sure strains credibility way past the breaking point. The scum-bag EASILY convinces Ingram that he is willing to own up to his crime but only if he gets a huge payoff. In other words, he'll admit to the crime but escape--leaving evidence that will clear Ingram's name. Not at all surprisingly (since he IS a crook), he tricks Ingram and it's Ingram who is sent to prison. Duh.For the rest of the film, Robinson spends his time in prison. However, the chain gang is run by a bunch of brutes (though they are FAR less brutal than the guys in the earlier film) and eventually he realizes he must escape in order to ever see his family again.So why does this film earn a 5? Well, it is entertaining but it breaks absolutely no new ground and pretty much neuters the old plot. The chain gang, while unpleasant, doesn't seem all that bad and instead of this form of imprisonment being indicted, the film actually is all about capturing the real baddie and sending him to prison where he rightfully belongs. Amazingly poor considering the material.

My review does contain a spoiler.If a man broke out of prison by striking a guard and risking the lives of others, wouldn't he be tried for that infraction when caught even if he was found to be innocent of the original crime? I think a better and more credible scenario would be for the main character to be inadvertently set free by some accidents in the prison such as a fire or storm or a train wreck during as prison transfer...A number of prisoners broke free in the accident so the police would be looking for quite a few escapees and not just one man, making it a bit easier for Ingram to get through. Also, later on he would not be in trouble for planning and initiating the escape and attacking a guard.

Here's to You Mr. Robinson. Even when Slightly Miscast and Upstaged by the Villain Edward G. managed to put Verve and Gusto in any Role. Here he goes from Family Man to a Rage Filled, Revenge Seeking Psycho Hell Bent on Saving His Family and Fortune from a Slimy and Totally Repugnant former "Friend".There are some Minor Cringe-Inducements mostly at the Beginning with some Comedy Relief and Smarmy Family Stuff, but Once the Blackmailer Shows Up Things Kick into Overdrive and there are some Very Effective Chain Gang Scenes and a Suspenseful Escape.The Oil Fires are Realistic and this is one of the Few Times that MGM tried to be Gritty and Deliver a Message. They were Aping Warner Brothers and did a Pretty Good Imitation.

This was a great film in 1939 because the audiences loved Edward G. Robinson who was a great actor and will be admired for many many generations to come. In this picture, Robinson plays John R. Ingram, who has a past that he is trying to hide from along with his wife, Ruth Hussey. John Ingram is a very successful troubleshooter for fires at Oil Rigs and has become very famous, wealthy and happy with his wife and young son. Everything seems to fall apart when Gene Lockhart, (Bill Ramey) knocks on the kitchen door and asks for a sandwich and starts a real storm in the Ingram household. Ingram decides to drill for his own oil and at the same time gets deeply involved with Bill Ramey. If you never knew what a chain gang is, this picture will show you what happened years ago on a chain gang. Enjoy a great classic film starring Edward G. Robinson, who was accepted into the hearts and homes of America and even put on a United States Postage Stamp.