I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang 1932 Full Movie fmovies

HD 7.8 92 min

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang Full Movie fmovies

Returning Home and Facing Challenges

White American sergeant James Allen returns to civilian life after World War I. He has served with distinction, earning a medal from Allied governments for his bravery, but his war experience has made him restless. His mother and minister brother feel Allen should be grateful for a tedious office clerk job. When he announces that he wants to enter the construction industry and improve society as an engineer, his brother reacts with outrage, but his mother regretfully accepts his ambitions.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

He leaves home to find work, but unskilled labor is plentiful, and it is hard for him to find a job. Allen sinks slowly into poverty. In an unnamed Southern state (the events upon which the film was based took place in Georgia), Allen visits a diner with an acquaintance, who forces him at gunpoint to participate in a robbery. The police arrive and shoot and kill his friend. Allen panics and attempts to flee but is caught immediately.

Escape to Freedom

Allen is tried and sentenced to prison with hard labor. He is quickly exposed to the brutal conditions of life on a chain gang. The work is agonizing, and the guards are cruel and sadistically whip prisoners for poor performance. Allen makes friends among the gang members, most notably Bomber Wells, an older murderer, and chain gang veteran. The two conspire to stage a breakout.

Struggles and Betrayal

While working on a railroad, Allen receives assistance from Sebastian T. Yale, a powerfully built prisoner who damages Allen’s shackles by hammering them with Allen’s ankles still inside. The following Monday, while on a “bathroom break,” Allen slips out of his chains and runs. Armed guards and bloodhounds give chase, but Allen evades them by changing clothes and hiding at the bottom of a river. He makes it to a nearby town, where he is given money for a train ticket and a room for the night by one of Bomber’s friends.

Final Escape and Farewell

Months later, he visits Helen in Chicago to wish her a permanent goodbye. Tearfully, she asks, “Can’t you tell me where you’re going? Will you write? Do you need any money?” Allen repeatedly shakes his head as he backs away. Finally, Helen says, “But you must, Jim. How do you live?” Allen’s face is barely visible in the surrounding gloom as he replies, “I steal,” disappearing into the darkness.