Intense, violent and nihilistic in the extreme, this Mark Hellinger-produced prison drama may well be the bleakest, most despairing film noir of them all. Burt Lancaster plots a breakout for the inmates of Cell R-17 so they can escape the sadism of fascistic bully Hume Cronyn. The climactic bust-out remains a shocker, as the escape erupts into full-throttle warfare. Still the most unforgettable men-behind-bars movie ever made! “Men caged on the inside… Driven by the thought of their women on the loose!”