Waste of time

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There's a manhunt on for three escaped convicts who are after some stolen bank loot after busting out of prison. Paul Fix and Russell Hopton are in on the robbery, but the authorities made a mistake in identifying the inside man and LeRoy Mason who was a cashier was arrested. Little does he realize that it was the bank manager himself Walter Miller who was the inside man and he's hidden the loot. The other two want to take it and run, Mason wants to prove his innocence.Fortunately for Mason who usually graced many a B western as a villain, he has young junior Forest Ranger Frankie Darro on his side. In the end all is righted.Why two men who did the job and who know who the boss was would want to escape with Mason who was framed is but one of the problems with this muddled story. It's a poverty row job from something called Conn Pictures so we start with low expectations.And they are fulfilled.

A large group of prisoners try to break out from the city's house of corrections, but most are mown down by the warders' machine guns and the bodies pile high. Not a good advert for US penal practice, but common enough in the movies. Three prisoners get away and head off to a forest hotel. One of the prisoners, a bank cashier, was in the pen for a bank robbery he claims he was duped into assisting. Among the guests at the hotel are the bank manager and his fiancée, the former girl friend of the cashier. The ex-cashier believe the manager was behind the robbery and intend to prove it. After the required (a) two fist fights, (b) a gun battle, (c) some songs, (d) a couple of comedy interludes, (e) aerial surveillance (possibly by a Curtis Jennie), (f) several stick-ups, (g) the usual missed chances, (h) the girl being used as a shield (h) the girl's kid sister frequently getting in the way - this list is not exhaustive, the girl realises the manager is guilty, but to prove it pretends to go along with him so he shows her where he's stashed the loot behind a rock in the forest. He is then killed by one of the escapees before all is revealed and the ex-cashier falls into his re-united girlfriends arms. The body count was excessive, even for a B-feature.