Detailing the conflict between a cynical prosecuting attorney turned warden (Huston) and a green young killer (Holmes), whose stretch in the slammer threatens to destroy not only his faith in life but also his sanity, the taut, unsentimental plot about betrayal and revenge proposes that the convicts' sense of honour and justice is not so very different from that of the authorities: 'Someone's gotta pay' lies all too easily on the lips of both vengeful hard-asses like Karloff and self-righteous perpetrators of the law such as Huston. But there's no facile moralising here; rather, the fast pacing, grimly realistic atmosphere, and superb performances summon up a tragic battle of wits and power in which both sides are equally right and wrong, forced to do what their position in life requires them to, and from which the only way out is death. Hawks' later concerns are in full bloom here - pride in professionalism, loyalty and betrayal within the group, the difficulties facing men forced to live without women, responsibility and respect - and his totally assured style is reflected in the quick, naturalistic dialogue, quirky black humour, and the ability to turn potentially risible set pieces - like Huston's first confrontation with a yard full of riotous cons - into electrifying suspense. 译文(3): 详细描述了一个愤世嫉俗的检察官出身的监狱长（休斯顿饰）和一个年轻的绿色杀手（福尔摩斯饰，关于背叛和复仇的非情感情节表明，罪犯的荣誉感和正义感与当局没有太大区别：“总得有人付出代价”很容易就在卡洛夫这样复仇的硬汉和休斯顿这样自以为是的违法者的嘴边。但这里没有简单的道德说教；相反，快速的节奏、冷酷的现实主义氛围和出色的表演唤起了一场悲剧的斗智斗勇，双方都是对的和错的，被迫做他们在生活中的地位要求他们做的事情，而唯一的出路就是死亡。霍克斯后来的担忧在这里得到了充分的体现——对专业精神的自豪、团队内部的忠诚和背叛，被迫在没有女性、责任和尊重的情况下生活的男性所面临的困难——他完全自信的风格反映在快速、自然主义的对话、古怪的黑色幽默、，以及将潜在的可笑定位球——比如休斯顿与一群暴徒的第一次对抗——变成令人兴奋的悬念的能力。
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