A dying man frames himself for murder so his widow can collect the reward.
Acting
George Kennedy's crumbling dignity—Oscar-worthy in a forgotten gem.
Direction
Colla squeezes claustrophobia from every prison corridor and fluorescent hum.
Writing
The premise is so elegantly cruel you'll hate that it works.
Director
Richard A. Colla
George Kennedy
Paul R. Cameron
Anne Jackson
Jean Cameron
Eli Wallach
Mario Gambretti
Steve Ihnat
Asst. Dist. Atty. Herb Gates
William Marshall
Morrie Bronson
Charlene Holt
Sara Raymond
Joe Maross
Lt. Max Hines
Dana Elcar
Harold Tracey
Walter Brooke
Adam Mercer
Anita O'Day
Sheila Mangan
Joan Tompkins
Judge Beth Weaver
Robert Sampson
Burt Stennis
Leonard Stone
Jim Harris
Stewart Moss
Edgar Courtland
Robert Donner
Sgt. Mason Weber
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson were married in real life, adding delicious tension to their scenes.
Made during the collapse of the Hollywood studio system, this gritty B-picture predicted the 70s paranoid thriller boom—just years too early.
US
