Universal Pictures | Release Date: August 1, 1947 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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88
A socially conscious prison picture (written by Richard Brooks) that sometimes deliriously suggests a Brooklynesque mating of Jean Genet and Warner Bros. [20 Apr 2007, p.C8]
88
Burt Lancaster's second movie also gave Hume Cronyn his most memorable screen role. [31 Jan 1996, p.5D]
88
The Seattle TimesMark Rahner
An outstanding noir with young Burt Lancaster as an inmate plotting escape, and Hume Cronyn as the cruel, scheming bastard of a head guard. [15 Apr 2007, p.K4]
80
Orlando SentinelCrosby Day
A vivid and harrowingly exciting melodrama. [05 Oct 1997]
70
The title is accurate: this is a crudely powerful prison picture.
70
Los Angeles TimesSusan King
A gritty, powerfully acted drama set in an overcrowded maximum-security prison. [04 Feb 1999, p.F48]