The Last Mile (1959)

Wonderful Movie

Sorry, this movie sucks

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

I watched this film last night and although interesting in some respects it was also hard to get my head around. We watch men on death row talk about their stories and how they are scared about going to the electric chair. I guess if they hadn't killed anyone in the first place they wouldn't be there. Perhaps watching this in 2017 where we have very lax sentencing against violent criminals and victims are ignored, made it feel different to how it might have been to watching it when the film was made. The performances are good but a little over wrought, Mickey Rooney makes a good tough guy. By the end of the film you can see why these men, especially Rooney are where they are and their final bid for freedom is just pointless. I didn't have any sympathy for the prisoners at all and was on the side of the wardens the whole way through. An interesting film which can be viewed in a number of ways. If made today the moralizing might be a lot more heavy handed. One of the good things about this film is it doesn't push any agenda's. It leaves it open to interpretation.

Although it's such a long time since I saw the film, I'm now planning to see it as soon as I can as it made such an impression on me, pretty much like that described in the review I've read on this site, which really confirmed my overall thoughts on the film and performance of Mickey Rooney in it. So now I can't wait to see it again, now that I have gotten the title again, and moreover by all accounts it really is as good as I first thought. That's why I have no trouble giving ten out of ten with my memories of it from years back, and in advance of my seeing it again as soon as I can. In addition to seeing the film again and finding out that it actually was as good as I had always considered it to be, I'll be happy to pass that good news on to others around in the course of discussions regarding good films and things to watch.

The Last Mile is directed by Howard W. Koch and adapted to screenplay by Milton Subotsky and Seton I. Miller from the play of the same name by John Wexley. It stars Mickey Rooney, Frank Overton, Michael Constantine and John Vari. Music is by Van Alexander and cinematography by Joseph Brun.The Death House is the cell block where nine inmates await their dates with the electric chair. Some of the guards delight in tormenting the condemned men, one of whom is Killer John Mears (Rooney), and he's had enough...Already made in 1932 with Preston Foster in the starring role, Howard Koch's 59 version of The Last Mile taps into the film noir zeitgeist of the time and unleashes a film of great power.Essentially played out on one set, there was a danger that this could have been too stage bound as a production, but not a bit of it, the tight confines of the shoot are just perfect for the thematics of the story. Pic begins with imposing title credits, an animated drawing of "Old Sparky" accompanied by shards of Van Alexander's Jazz "N" Blues musical score. We are then locked up with the convicts of "The Death House", sharing their fears, their anger and their regrets, the constant glances towards "The Door" at the end of the block akin to catching a glimpse of "The Grim Reaper" spying on you.For the first two thirds of the piece the makers ask for our patience as they build characters and atmosphere, gently ratcheting up the tension with every claustrophobic frame. Prison stories were ready made for film noir purveyors, offering great opportunities for the cinematographers to utilise the steel bars for psychologically shadowed impact, and Joseph Brun does that excellently here, even managing to extend the cell shadows over the smug guards, the inference is that they too are locked up in this place of abject misery.The air of fatalism mixes with the sweat of the men and drips down the cell walls, we are left in no doubt that this powder keg is about to be ignited, and when it comes it comes with the thunder, producing a last third of kinetic cinema of throat grabbing proportions. To which Koch and his team deliver a film noir coup de grace. Rooney leads the way with his performance of a seething John Mears, it's not over acting as some critics of the time suggested, it's a full on commitment to the portrayal of the incarcerated male who literally has nothing to lose and has had enough of being taunted. The other actors around him inevitably pale into his shadow, but they also put much emotion into their respective roles, very much so.An under seen and under valued prison noir, The Last Mile should be sought out by anyone with a bent for such films. 8.5/10

"The Last Mile" is a heck of a good prison movie. Although there are a LOT of really good prison film, I'd rank this up among the best due to a script that never gives way to sentimentality as well as a wonderful performance by Mickey Rooney in the lead.The film is set on Death Row in a prison. While quite a few other films have been set in such a location, the film's prologue claims it's based on a real story. Whether or not that's true, I have no idea. Regardless, much of the film is spent just passing time....waiting until each guy's number is up and they are sent to be executed. At times, it's interesting to watch the guards, as a couple of them are not much better than the inmates. But the most interesting, clearly, is 'Killer' Mears. Unlike others who sweat out their time and worry about death, he's a cool and nasty piece of work. You see just how awful and determined he is when he is able to overcome one of the guards and he leads a prison revolt. However, this is not just a run of the mill attempt to break out. This group has nothing to lose and Mears is more than willing to kill all their captives without hesitation. This grittiness makes the film and those who see Rooney as just a child star are unaware that he could really act--and here he is amazingly good. Overall, this is a wonderfully realistic film--one that never gives way to sentiment and which ends on a gritty note instead of a happily ever after contrived ending.Currently, you can see this film streaming from Netflix. Despite appearing like a low-budget and forgettable 50s film, it's anything but.