THE LAST MILE (1932)

[The Burgomaster]

This movie is included in the DARK CRIMES 50 MOVIE PACK.

THE LAST MILE was adapted from a stage play.  It's a pretty good old-fashioned black and white prison flick.  Unfortunately, after a strong 1st half, it becomes more of a standard melodrama.

Dick Walters (Howard Phillips) is worngly convicted of a murder and sentenced to death.  He arrives on death row just as another convict named Joe Berg is about to be taken to the electric chair.  The dialogue and atmosphere in this scene are excellent as Berg watches the clock tick down the final 20 minutes of his life.  He talks nervously about a variety of things, and ultimately says something like, "They shaved my leg.  Is that where the juice will enter me?"

The movie is very much like a filmed play.  The major set is death row, where a bunch of cells are lined up side-by-side.  The inmates talk to each other, and the guard, through the bars.  

As I mentioned before, the 2nd half of the movie relies less on dialogue and more on melodramatic action as "Killer" Mears organizes a violent escape attempt.

The movie is about 75 minutes long and is reasonably entertaining for most of that short running time.

[Scott]

all those packs are worth it.