The Last Mile (1959)
Studio: MGM
Theatrical Release: February 18, 1959
DVD-R Release: April 24, 2012
Directed by: Howard W. Koch
Not Rated
Review by Shawn Spear
Convicted murderer Richard Walters (Clifford David) is brought to a death row wing of a prison and placed in a cell next to John “Killer” Mears (Mickey Rooney) and 6 other condemned men. While waiting for their death sentence, the prisoners lament about what might have been, listen to the disturbed poetry of a fellow inmate gone mad (Michael Constantine, in his film debut) and watch in anguish as their cell lights dim from the use of the electric chair in the next room.
To make matters worse, the guards in this unnamed prison abuse their authority and sadistically taunt the inmates. One such guard (Donald Barry), while mocking Walters’ final words to his family, makes the mistake of getting too close to Mears’ cell. Soon after, the tables are turned.
Mears chokes the guard until he passes out, steals his keys, and leads the men in a violent overthrow of the death house. They capture the death house guards, lock them up, and hold them for ransom while Mears tries to negotiate with the warden for an escape vehicle. To prove he means business, Mears shoots a guard for every refusal of his request. From there the violence escalates and before long the men are engaged in a bloody shootout with the rest of the guards from the prison.
The second film adaptation of a play by the same name, The Last Mile succeeds in that it rarely feels like a stage production, as movies based on plays so often do. In fact, it is due in part to the film’s nearly exclusive use of a single set that we experience the same sense of claustrophobia and despair from which the men suffer.
Director Koch (Jungle Heat, The Big House) makes effective use of this set, letting the crisscrossing lines of the bars and its shadows tightly frame the actors’ frightened, tormented faces. His skillful composition of its corridors creates a nightmarish atmosphere and sense of impending doom for all concerned.
Nearly all the performances in the film are convincing, at least in late 1950’s terms (obviously this predates more naturalistic acting to which we are accustomed today). Clifford David’s understated, heartfelt performance engages our sympathy and makes us root for the prisoners, and veteran character actors Leon Janney and Clifton James effectively switch from detached bureaucrats to desperate victims once they face their probable fate.
Rooney, on the other hand, is a slightly different story. While his character has been convicted of murder, Rooney the actor chews up scenery and gets away with it. He reigns in his performance when paired with David, but mostly he comically shouts and scowls his way through his scenes. To be fair, he does play a homicidal maniac, and his performance is often enjoyable in spite of itself. But it’s undeniable that his over-the-top ham-fest undermines the dramatic weight won by the direction, cinematography, and his fellow cast.
For that reason The Last Mile isn’t exactly a lost classic, but it doesn’t deserve to be forgotten, either.
Theatrical Release: February 18, 1959
DVD-R Release: April 24, 2012
Directed by: Howard W. Koch
Not Rated
Review by Shawn Spear
Convicted murderer Richard Walters (Clifford David) is brought to a death row wing of a prison and placed in a cell next to John “Killer” Mears (Mickey Rooney) and 6 other condemned men. While waiting for their death sentence, the prisoners lament about what might have been, listen to the disturbed poetry of a fellow inmate gone mad (Michael Constantine, in his film debut) and watch in anguish as their cell lights dim from the use of the electric chair in the next room.
To make matters worse, the guards in this unnamed prison abuse their authority and sadistically taunt the inmates. One such guard (Donald Barry), while mocking Walters’ final words to his family, makes the mistake of getting too close to Mears’ cell. Soon after, the tables are turned.
Mears chokes the guard until he passes out, steals his keys, and leads the men in a violent overthrow of the death house. They capture the death house guards, lock them up, and hold them for ransom while Mears tries to negotiate with the warden for an escape vehicle. To prove he means business, Mears shoots a guard for every refusal of his request. From there the violence escalates and before long the men are engaged in a bloody shootout with the rest of the guards from the prison.
The second film adaptation of a play by the same name, The Last Mile succeeds in that it rarely feels like a stage production, as movies based on plays so often do. In fact, it is due in part to the film’s nearly exclusive use of a single set that we experience the same sense of claustrophobia and despair from which the men suffer.
Director Koch (Jungle Heat, The Big House) makes effective use of this set, letting the crisscrossing lines of the bars and its shadows tightly frame the actors’ frightened, tormented faces. His skillful composition of its corridors creates a nightmarish atmosphere and sense of impending doom for all concerned.
Nearly all the performances in the film are convincing, at least in late 1950’s terms (obviously this predates more naturalistic acting to which we are accustomed today). Clifford David’s understated, heartfelt performance engages our sympathy and makes us root for the prisoners, and veteran character actors Leon Janney and Clifton James effectively switch from detached bureaucrats to desperate victims once they face their probable fate.
Rooney, on the other hand, is a slightly different story. While his character has been convicted of murder, Rooney the actor chews up scenery and gets away with it. He reigns in his performance when paired with David, but mostly he comically shouts and scowls his way through his scenes. To be fair, he does play a homicidal maniac, and his performance is often enjoyable in spite of itself. But it’s undeniable that his over-the-top ham-fest undermines the dramatic weight won by the direction, cinematography, and his fellow cast.
For that reason The Last Mile isn’t exactly a lost classic, but it doesn’t deserve to be forgotten, either.
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