Numbers in Hell

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The Last Mile

Yes, the first thing that I want to say is that movie and its remake 25 years later BOTH were directed by producers, not genuinely directors; I think that deserves to be told. Howard Koch was also a producer, as Bischoff, but directed a bit more films than him ONLY ONE. Preston Foster is absolutely impressive here. A powerful indictment against prison, death penalty and judicial system in general. But the 1957 version is maybe more brutal, exciting, tense, thanks to Mickey Rooney in a less theatrical directing. Because it is obvious that this thirties movie looks really like a stage play adaptation.

The first half of the film is slow, talky, and one-act-play-ish. The only good part-- and pretty much the film's only real attempt to build character --is Daniel L. Haynes' fine performance as Number Two. He also has the best line, where with a smiling but sardonic edge, he doubts he'll meet his death-house fellows on the other side, because white people probably won't let a black man share Hell with them. The movie finally picks up at the midpoint as it suddenly becomes more of a thriller, and the tension ratchets up and up for the remainder of the film's brief runtime. So don't let the Generic Serious Depression-Era Play feel of the first half put you off, because it transforms into a much more rewarding experience.

THE LAST MILE is a dated prison melodrama from the early days of talkie cinema. Given that for most of the running time it consists of half a dozen guys chatting on a prison set it must have been cheap to make. The film's protagonist is wrongfully accused of murder (as so many were during that decade) and sent to Death Row, where the prisoners are about to stage a violent uprising. The plot has elements of interest for sure but ultimately this is too dated to be a success. The acting verges on ham throughout and there's far too much overwrought melodrama for modern audiences to take it seriously. The interminable prison singing doesn't help much either. About the only thing THE LAST MILE is good for is a look at social attitudes towards condemned men during the era, and this is a surprisingly sympathetic viewpoint.

Even though this was made early on and attempts to be an indictment of capital punishment, it is not very effective. To start with, each of the death row inmates is sympathetic. Now, that's OK for a time, but if we never get to know much about them and their psyches, it just doesn't work. Of course, we have our hero who is unjustly convicted and within minutes of his execution when a jailbreak begins. The whole thing is talky until the explosion. There are some really brutal, merciless killings when the prisoners are in control. It just shows we all want to live. The guards are really the bad guys here because they lord it over the poor inmates. Their crimes really aren't revealed. They are a contrast to Tom Hanks in "The Green Mile" where one can be a horror on earth, but, after all, you are facing the final curtain. Anyway, this just doesn't work. It's stagy and simplistic.

Relentlessly Grim Prison-Pic from a Play by John Wexley who also Wrote the Script. It's of the "Reform" Type with its Critical Eye on "Death Row" and Specifically the "Death Penalty". The First Half is the most Dated and Tough to get Through Today with its Heavy Melodramatics, Over Acting, and Exaggerated Mental Anguish Displays. There's some Bite to the Dialog but the Performances Suffer from Stagy Emoting and Projection. But the Second-Half Kicks in and the Movie becomes Engaging, Suspenseful, Violent, and even more Poignant. Some of the Imagery, while Confined by a Low-Budget and its Stage Play Roots, still manages to be very Atmospheric and Gloomy. It's an Artifact of its Era for sure, but that makes it Relevant as a Time Capsule of both Cinema and Social Concerns. It can be Powerful at times and is Definitely Worth a Watch.

"The Last Mile" is an interesting melodrama set on death row. While it is not entirely credible, and is often heavy-handed, the characters are memorable, and there is a lot of tense action. The story begins with Richard Walters (Howard Phillips) being condemned to death for a murder that he claims not to have committed. He is sent to death row, and not long after he gets acquainted with the other inmates, a riot breaks out, led by the brutal killer Mears. Walters gets enmeshed in violent events even as his friends on the outside are frantically trying to gather evidence of his innocence. Most of the developments lack believability, and are rather obviously forced, but the story is undeniably dramatic. Once involved, you will have to watch it to the end. While imperfect and low-budget, this is an interesting film that will keep your attention if you start to watch it.