Overrated and overhyped

Expected more

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Road Gang (1936) ** 1/2 (out of 4) "B" picture from Warner about a reporter (Donald Woods) trying to bring down a dirty politician but before he can he along with a friend and set-up and thrown into a corrupt prison system. Once there the reporter sees the abuse that prisoners are receiving so he sets out to do something about it. This here is obviously just a low-budget rip on I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG and while it's nowhere nearly as great as that film, on its own this here remains mildly entertaining. The best thing is that it barely clocks in at a hour, which means were just given a bunch of fast-paced action. The film really doesn't have too much to say as it just goes through the motions and delivers the action. A lot of credit has to go to Woods who manages to keep the viewer interested in his character and this here helps keeps us entertained in the film. The supporting cast also features Kay Linaker as the girlfriend, Carlyle Moore, Jr. as the best friend and small roles from Henry O'Neill, Joe King and Edward Van Sloan. At just over a hour there's really not too much "story" here but that's pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this. It's main purpose was to entertain and it does a good job at that. One strange thing is that there's some editing to the soundtrack because one character is being addressed by a certain name (Moett) and this character is listen in the credits under this name. However, it's clear that the other characters are calling him by a different name (Metcalf) so why the edited soundtrack appears to be a mystery.

A reporter uncovers a network of corruption that extends to the penthouses and prisons of a southern state.MGM may have gussied up the Depression era with glamorous escapism, but not so Warner Bros. WB liked to say their stories were ripped from the headlines of the day. Their writers operated from street level and not the penthouse top, as this programmer clearly shows. Prison conditions could be abominable at a time when tax monies had dried up along with businesses. Thus prison movies like the best known one, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (932), were popular with straitened audiences of the day.There are many good touches in Road Gang—the pin-pricked message, the tumbling coal stope, the artful safe-cracker. Note too, how the scheme reporter Larrabee (Woods) uncovers goes all the way to the top. I'm sure audiences of the day enjoyed indicting the rich and powerful. Nonetheless, the movie lacks the fire needed to lift it from the merely routine. Woods is sturdy and likable, but lacks the intensity needed to drive the plot in a memorable way. Also, that superb villain Charles Middleton (mine boss) curiously underplays his key role, such that no sparks are lit there, either. My guess is that director King was not much engaged with the material. His story direction is competent, but nothing more. Thus the narrative unfolds in interesting but not gripping fashion, which I suspect is why it's omitted from Maltin's film guide. Too bad WB didn't get Cagney for the lead role or Mike Curtiz to direct it.

This is a great little film. I found it to be heartbreaking to watch, because things like this did happen in the South in the past. Donald Woods and Carlyle Moore, Jr.(one of my favorite unsung actors) are excellent in this film. This film is always compared to "I Was A Fugitive From A Chain Gang" and although the comparison is unfair, it is still a great film to watch.

The was one of many Warner Bros. movies of the 30's about abysmal prison conditions and social injustice due to political corruption. It's a B picture without any big stars, but easy to watch, with Donald Woods as the reporter framed by Joe King and Henry O'Neill for trying to expose their corruption. I had a hard time accepting O'Neill as a baddie since he almost always plays a congenial sort. The prison scenes were excellent, especially with Harry Cording (the guard with the whip) making a terrific heavy. I also enjoyed seeing Marc Lawrence uncharacteristically playing a friendly convict.Since I'm interested in credits, there were two items I noted. First, Joe King's character name is listed as Moett, but the AFI Catalogue mentioned that contemporary reviews listed his name as Metcalfe. His name is altered in the soundtrack at least a dozen times, where the "calfe" is blanked out, and it is very noticeable. Why the change was made is not known. Second, when the police radio dispatcher Frank Faylen reports about jailer Tom Manning's death, he says his name is "Bill Huber." But when you see the name in the newspaper, it is "W.B. Hefflin." Our forgetful filmmakers strike again!