"Convicted" is based on the Broadway play "The Criminal Code", and was to be the third film adaptation of that play. It starts out as a crime drama about a young WW2 veteran named Hufford - 'decorated on Okinawa' - who is arrested for the manslaughter of a man he had an argument with over a woman at a club. He is then brought to trial, and the DA George Knowland feels sorry for Hufford because he sees the case for what it is, a simple accident, but acknowledges that Hufford must do some prison time in order for justice to be served. The headline sentence is anywhere from 1 - 10 years, and Knowland attempts to strike all sorts of deals with Hufford's highly incompetent solicitor, and when that fails, even attempts to advise the solicitor, who is clearly out of his depth, as he is a corporate lawyer assigned by the company that Hufford works for, not a criminal one. The ignorant solicitor doesn't listen, and Joe gets the full whack, and is sent upstate. There, the film turns into a fairly decent prison drama as we follow Joe through the next three years as he adapts to prison life. Knowland becomes the Warden, and things get interesting. He never forgot Hufford, and looks to help him out. But this sends both men down an awkward road.
Broderick Crawford is excellent here and really adds a natural charisma to the DA and later Warden as a no-nonsense straight-shooter, who is realistic to know that sometimes he needs to transcend the rules and use a bit of discretion to get along. He won the Oscar for Best Actor the same year this was released, for his performance the year previous in "All the King's Men". Ford is strong as Hufford, and portrays his transformation very well. It's a seldom seen film these days, but it's definitely worth checking out for the performances alone.
Broderick Crawford is excellent here and really adds a natural charisma to the DA and later Warden as a no-nonsense straight-shooter, who is realistic to know that sometimes he needs to transcend the rules and use a bit of discretion to get along. He won the Oscar for Best Actor the same year this was released, for his performance the year previous in "All the King's Men". Ford is strong as Hufford, and portrays his transformation very well. It's a seldom seen film these days, but it's definitely worth checking out for the performances alone.