There were many movies about jail breaks all over decades, especially in the black and white era, and pretty good ones. But this one is underrated though pulled by powerful acting and directing skills. Don't forget that Howard Koch already gave us SHIELD FOR MURDER, THE LAST MILE - another prison crime film, and among the best ever - and the last but not the least: BADGE 373, in 1973. So back to this one, I have watched it several times already and will never get tired of it. Yes, because you have no hero here. Ralph Meeker could have been, but a hero abducting a child and asking to ransom then? And what about the bunch of heavies whom he meets behind bars? Everyone is excellent in this gritty and brutal crime flick. It should have been best released, at least in France, where it is totally unknown. The ending is also so abrupt, an ending that you could have never expected. And of course, there is no love intrigue here, despite the presence of the only female character.
Review of Big House, U.S.A.
