Big House, U.S.A

A crime picture directed by Howard W. Koch and written by John C. Higgins. Jerry Barker comes upon a runaway boy and turns the situation into a ransom demand; after collecting the money he discovers the boy has fallen to his death, and he runs. The FBI catches him, but with no body he is convicted only of extortion. Inside, he is put with Rollo Lambert, who starts planning a break-out to get at the hidden money. The film is unusually hard and unsentimental for its moment and makes no attempt to render anyone likeable. Broderick Crawford, Ralph Meeker, William Talman, Lon Chaney Jr. and a young Charles Bronson are all in it.