Illegal

"He was a guy who marked 100 men for death - until a blonde called 'Angel' O'Hara marked him for life!"

Dec 15 1955 Approved 1h 28m
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

A hugely successful DA goes into private practice after sending a man to the chair -- only to find out later he was innocent. Now the drunken attorney only seems to represent criminals and low lifes.

Plot

Ambitious D.A. Victor Scott zealously prosecutes Ed Clary for a woman's murder. But as Clary walks "the last mile" to the electric chair, Scott receives evidence that exonerates the condemned man. Realizing that he's made a terrible mistake he tries to stop the execution but is too late. Humbled by his grievous misjudgement, Scott resigns as a prosecutor. Entering private practice, he employs the same cunning that made his reputation and draws the attention of mob kingpin, Frank Garland. The mobster succeeds in bribing Scott into representing one of his stooges on a murder rap and Scott, in a grand display of courtroom theatrics, wins the case. But soon Scott finds himself embroiled in dirty mob politics. The situation becomes intolerable when his former protege in the D.A.'s office is charged with a murder that seems to implicate her as an informant to the Garland mob. Can Victor defend the woman he secretly loves and also keep his life?

Written by

W.R. Burnett, James R. Webb, Frank J. Collins

Directed by

Lewis Allen

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Languages

English, Deutsch

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
2,503
Average Rating
7 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA