The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains

This is a well produced and gripping film that effectively captures both the period and the grim reality of a Georgia prison camp. As soon as he met Emily, you just knew what would happen. But it's still worth a watch. I think I spotted one goof. In one scene in 1929 there is a dial telephone. I don't believe they were introduced until the thirties. Also there were not the sort of radio newscasts in the twenties that were used to advance the story. But both are small points in an otherwise excellent film.

Like many TV movies, "The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains" has suffered an unfortunate fading into obscurity through no fault of its own. Truly, this film is every bit as good as the Paul Muni original, if only a bit less for being the second go-around.

Director Daniel Mann gives the film a real edge, a surprising sense of desperation from a director who spent a career filming melodramas like "The Rose Tattoo" (1955). In fact, it was his last film before passing away at the age of 78 in 1991. He gives the film real claustrophobia and suspense.

This is one of Val Kilmer's best roles, and he makes you believe he's really experiencing all of this. As the warden, Charles Durning is very menacing, digging his heels into every ounce of hatefulness he can drag out his character. It's an excellent performance. The female roles are well-played within their limits, but the other real standout performance is from James Keach. I always felt that James was every bit as good an actor as brother Stacy, and was quite disappointed when he quit acting for a rather mediocre directing career (save for the stunning "The Stars Fell on Henrietta").

The script is very dark, providing few moments of light. Even in civilian life, Eliot Burns finds his life constantly unraveling. I began to believe that Burns got into trouble more through his lack of foresight than his lack of luck. Overall, it's a very good picture, and an excellent historical document of the chain gang life - nearly as good as "Cool Hand Luke" (1967).

RATING: 7.6 out of 10

I was really touched by the realism in this movie. Kilmer portrayed an average guy, like any you or I might know, who gets thrown into a completely brutal environment. I found myself wanting to shout at the screen for the injustice of it! Kilmer looks just like someone close to me, which gave me even more empathy for his character. He could have been my brother, and I think the movie would have stirred up the same feelings of compassion.

The brutality of this film was actually a bit much for me, but so was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I thought parts of the movie were a little too gory.

I enjoyed all of what I didn't have to shield my eyes for. Well--enjoyed is a strange word for this movie--I appreciated it.

Just saw this movie on VHS. I had no idea what kind of movie it was before I pushed "play", so it turned out to be a very intense movie and wouldn't let you go.

Val's character was a regular veteran, and he played it like a regular guy too, no overacting. Because the character was so real, the following prison and labor scenes contrasted greatly with the ordinary character and made them even more dramatic than in an action movie.

At times it was just unbearable to watch and I had to FF it, not because it was bad, on the contrary, because they were so good and real. Other than Val's excellently subdued performance, the supporting casts did well too.

The acting was top notch, story line was flawless, and the ending was justified but not Hollywood typical. So it's a very well done movie, worth watching it.

Not only do I consider this to be Val's best performance, but I consider it to be the most touching. There are no surprises to be had. It's a gut wrenching and honest indictment of jursisprudence at it's most brutal. I consider it a crime that there is no way to even buy this anymore.