L'homme qui brisa ses chaînes

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.

This was one of the first HBO productions I ever saw, in spite of having HBO for several years. I was spell bound by it.

A man wrongfully convicted for a crime he did not commit, and subjected to the absolute worst period in American penitentiary history.

The kangaroo court, the false testimony, the trumped up charge, the brutalization of an honest man "doing time" shackled to other convicts, and the brutality of the labor itself of "making small rocks out of big rocks."

Based on a true story of how a tragic miscarriage of justice absolutely destroyed an honest man's life. A man who fought for us, for Uncle Sam, for the nation, and was rewarded with misery for most of his life.

You will shake your head, and perhaps shed a tear at Val Kilmer's depiction of an individual who fought back the only way he could.

It is almost a crime that this film is not available to view again. In time I'm sure it will be made available to the public once more.

Rarely do I recommend films about men who have gotten a rotten lot in life, but this is a must see.

The tragic truth is that we still have some miscarriages of justice today, but the US and friendly nations are a bit more methodical in both investigation and meting out appropriate punishments. Even so, there are those who still fall through the cracks. This films looks at a day and age when lots of people fell through the cracks, and tragic consequences thereof.

It is a film about strength of character, and the will to survive with hope that it will all work out in the end.

I won't say "enjoy it", because it's a tough watch. But in my book it is a must see.

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.

Nicely cast, well-directed film, and a fitting "last hurrah" for the magnificent character actor Elisha Cook Jr, who plays Kilmer's aging mentor on the chain gang. Cook, best remembered for his portrayal of "Wilmer" (the cheap little gunsel) in THE MALTESE FALCON, does his usual superb supporting work.

KIlmer does a fine job, not falling into the obvious trap of going "over the top" -- which might be an understandable portrayal if this were fiction, but Kilmer's (like Muni's) somewhat subdued performance is much more in keeping with the real-life character's personality. Both versions drive me a bit nuts because I keep wanting him to kill his wife, who turned him in out of pure vindictiveness.

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.