SimilarScreen
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom … and awoke America’s conscience!

19327.81h 32m

Overview

A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by Howard J. Green, Robert E. Burns, Sheridan Gibney
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Box OfficeBudget: $196K0

Top Cast

Paul Muni

Paul Muni

James Allen

Glenda Farrell

Glenda Farrell

Marie Woods

Helen Vinson

Helen Vinson

Helen

Noel Francis

Noel Francis

Linda

Preston Foster

Preston Foster

Pete

Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins

Barney Sykes

Berton Churchill

Berton Churchill

The Judge

Edward Ellis

Edward Ellis

Bomber Wells

David Landau

David Landau

The Warden

Hale Hamilton

Hale Hamilton

Rev. Allen

Themes & Keywords

prisonwar veteranblackmailhamburgerbased on true storychain gangfugitivepre-codeescaped prisonerreverendtradesmanprison systemprison brutalityprison lifeprison reforminnocent in jailreformed criminalescapeeforced labor

About I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is a drama, crime film released in 1932 exploring themes of prison, war veteran, blackmail, hamburger, based on true story, chain gang. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, it stars Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson. A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.

Movies Similar to I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

Discover titles like I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

If you enjoyed I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.

American Me
26% Match

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits.

GoodFellas
26% Match

GoodFellas(1990)

Movie8.5/10

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

Papillon
26% Match

Papillon(1973)

Movie7.8/10

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Cool Hand Luke
25% Match

When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers.

The Shawshank Redemption
24% Match

Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

The Longest Yard
23% Match

Disgraced pro football quarterback Paul Crewe lands in a Texas federal penitentiary, where manipulative Warden Hazen recruits him to advise the institution's football team of prison guards. Crewe suggests a tune-up game which lands him quarterbacking a crew of inmates in a game against the guards. Aided by incarcerated ex-NFL coach and player Nate Scarborough, Crewe and his team must overcome not only the bloodthirstiness of the opposition, but also the corrupt warden trying to fix the game against them.

The Criminal Code
23% Match

After young Robert Graham commits a murder while drunk and defending his girlfriend, he is prosecuted by ambitious Mark Brady and sentenced to 10 years. Six years later, Brady becomes the prison warden and offers the beleaguered Robert a job as his chauffeur. Robert cleans up his act, but, on the eve of his pardon, his cellmate drags him back into the world of violence, and he faces a difficult choice that could return him to prison.

Shot Caller
22% Match

A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.

White Heat
21% Match

White Heat(1949)

Movie7.7/10

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.

Cape Fear
21% Match

Cape Fear(1991)

Movie7.3/10

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

The Informer
21% Match

In New York, former convict Pete Koslow, related to the Polish mafia, must deal with both Klimek the General, his ruthless boss, and the twisted ambitions of two federal agents, as he tries to survive and protect the lives of his loved ones.