This is Ben Gazzara's movie. He's at his best, doing a terrific job, looks great, and has plenty of range for the character's needs. It's a typical prison movie--nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't do anything really unusual. The supporting roles are mostly minor. If you're looking for a great, 'lost' Timothy Carey performance, this might disappoint you: he's got his teeth clenched throughout--literally, appears to be dubbed most of the time and his character never really comes to life. The real Timothy Carey role is given to Ray Walston (completely over-the-top, volatile and off the wall from the word go--actually rather funny at times). Carey and most of the rest, like Sammy Davis Jr, Vincent Price (the art expert of course), Broderick Crawford, Rod Steiger (relishing every second of his 3 minutes on screen) are really not doing much more than cameo appearances. Davis's character is developed and then dropped midway. Stuart Whitman is reduced to a well-meaning nice guy. Still, it's fun to see who will walk through the door next, and former Film Noir stalwarts like John Kellogg and Adam Williams (as prison guards) are always welcome. It's a Hollywood movie pretty much all the way to the end. Worth seeing for fans of Gazzara and the supporting actors.
Some trivia: Jack Kruschen and Naomi Stevens, who play Gazzara's parents here, also play a married couple two years earlier, in THE APARTMENT.
Some trivia: Jack Kruschen and Naomi Stevens, who play Gazzara's parents here, also play a married couple two years earlier, in THE APARTMENT.