Review #603: 'I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang' (1932)

Based on Robert Elliot Burns' autobiographical novel I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!, Mervyn LeRoy's powerful drama follows war veteran James Allen (Paul Muni) who starts life as a drifter to pursue his dream of engineering. Out of work and broke, he is tempted into a free burger at a diner by a fellow drifter, only to be caught up in a robbery, to which he is forced into participation. He is arrested, and sentenced to ten years on the Georgia chain gang, where he and his fellow jailbirds are routinely mistreated and occasionally flogged. He manages to escape, and after a short spell as a fugitive, manages to work his way up in an construction firm. Years later, having established himself as a prominent member of society, he is finally tracked down. Unwilling to turn him over state lines, his new city Chicago becomes embroiled in a battle of custody with Georgia, who want to return him to the chain gang for the remainder of his sentence.

Not merely a generic prison movie, I am a Fugitive... finds its power rooted in it's condemnation of the American justice system. It is claimed that Burns' experiences and eventual exposure of the barbaric nature of the chain gang led to its cancellation. These men work bare-backed in the blazing sun, hammering rocks and train lines and whatever else there is to strike, eating gruel unfit for an animal in between. These are hardened criminals (apart from Allen, who is certainly innocent, but whether Burns truly was is another question), so do they deserve a harsh punishment? Of course. Do they deserve to have their human rights taken away from them and to be treated like dogs? Certainly not. But it goes deeper than that, and, anchored by Muni's terrific performance, questions how a person can ever prove themselves fit for society. Allen becomes a pillar of his community, surely an indication of rehabilitation? And is the way to help a person get to this stage to beat them down at every turn, diminishing all sense of hope?

This being pre-Hays Code, LeRoy is allowed to take the movie to places you wouldn't stand a chance of seeing just a few years later. Allen enjoys the comfort of a prostitute, looking up and down her body with an animalistic look in his eyes, adding depth to a complex character, taking his arc from squeaky-clean optimist to flawed, damaged human being. Special mention must go to cinematographer Sol Polito, who captures the sweaty claustrophobia of the chain gang, as well as framing a rather savage flogging scene with Expressionist flair, giant shadows creeping up the walls. I also ask you to try and avoid squirming during the scene in which Allen has his shackles purposefully dented for his escape, the mallet crashing down on his ankle repeatedly. 81 years after its release, Fugitive still packs a considerable punch, highlighting a heavily flawed justice system that hasn't really learned from its mistakes (see the incredible Paradise Lost (1996-2011) documentaries for proof).


Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Starring: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie