The Criminal Code

Jan 3 1931 Approved 1h 37m
Crime, Drama, Romance

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.

Plot

A wily D.A.(Brady) gets a 10 year conviction of a young 20 year old (Robert Graham)who he knows killed a man in self defense. Years later Brady becomes warden of the prison holding Graham. When Brady realizes that 6 years of working in the prison jute mill has pushed Graham to the breaking point, he gives him a chance- a new job as his valet. Graham responds well and earns the respect of both the warden and his beautiful daughter. Graham's mettle is put to the test when he stumbles onto a prison murder committed by his cell-mate. He must choose between the criminal code of silence and the warden's strong persuasion to reveal the killer.

Written by

Martin Flavin, Fred Niblo Jr., Seton I. Miller

Directed by

Howard Hawks

Cast

Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes, Constance Cummings

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

Languages

English, Deutsch

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 nomination total

Scores
# of Votes
1,746
Average Rating
6.9 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA