Parole, Inc. (1948)

Made in a perfunctory manner, to get the job done but not really to shine. A fine plot that could have been a classic in the right hands with the right budget is carried out competently enough, so "Parole, Inc." kept me interested. Everything moves briskly along.Talented actors including the charismatic Ms. Ankers go through their work with professionalism but don't have anything to work with character-wise. In fact, the big flaw here is total absence of character development. Who are these characters and what makes them tick- I guess we weren't meant to wonder such things.Skilled acting and a good amount of plot-driven tension are adequate to carry this film despite lacking any depth or style, and with only average direction, editing etc.Its OK but there are many better crime films of the era.

***SPOILERS*** Far fetched movie about violations in the state parole board that has convicts, in many cases convicted of first degree murder, sprung after a few years behind bars by them or their associates paying off the members of the board up to $2,000.00 in under the table cash. It's that fine and splendid red headed Irish lad Michael O'Shea, who incidentally was actually born on Saint Patrick Day, who stars in the film playing three different roles as Government Agent Richard Hendricks as well as on the lamb hoodlum Richard Murdock who at the same time is using the fake name Rick Carson. We first see Hendricks/Carson/Murdock in traction at a local hospital after being worked over by the Barney Rodescu, Turhan Bey, gang who caught him red handed trying to record their conversions with a hidden wire, tape wasn't available then to the public, recorder. This spoiled the entire suspense in the film by knowing that Hendricks was to survive whatever deadly obstacles he was to confront in the movie.Were then subjected to a long and boring flashback from Hendricks, who looks like Boris Karloff in "The Mummy", about how he got that way in trying to uncover the state parole system and the criminals that run it. It turns out that the two top members of the board are accepting bribe money to let dangerous convicts off on their promises that they go straight which in reality is straight back to their life in crime. Hendricks at first wins the confidence of the corrupt board members and their #1 shyster or mouthpiece Barney Rodescu until the partner of Murduck whom Hendricks is impersonating shows up at their hideout, known as "The Farm", and exposes him as a fraud.***SPOILERS*** Beaten up and shot as well as slated to be whacked Hendricks is saved by the bell by a squad of leather jacketed state police lead by Police Commissioner Hughes, Lyle Talbot, just in the nick of time to put an end to their plans to murder him and thus keep from releasing, for under the table cash of course, dozens of dangerous criminals into the public. There's also the beautiful Evelyn Anker as JoJo Dumont who runs the notorious Past-time café that's a front for shyster Rodescu's gang. It's JoJo who later gets second thoughts, when Rodesco & Co. plan to murder Hendricks, and switches sides, from the bad to the good guys, just before the action or police raid begins.

It's a talkie movie that is watchable.Not a great film.One of these low budget moral films made in the 40s and 50s.Some familiar character actors in it.Don't expect any suspense.When several notorious criminals are unjustifiably released on parole, the Federal Government smells a rat and sends ace agent Richard Hendricks to investigate. Hendricks infiltrates the gang, responsible for the parole racket by posing as a much-wanted convict Rick Carson. However, the wily Barney Rodescu, who is the brain behind the racket, soon finds out Carson's true identity. Carson's life is now in grave danger.

This B-movie is about a scam where the parole board is releasing undeserving candidates. An investigator decides to go undercover in order to root out who is on the take as well as their confederates. So, he poses as a real guy who had just recently escaped from prison—which is great unless any of the crooks knew this escapee. You figure this plan does not go perfectly, as the story is a flashback and periodically the film returns to the present—and shows the undercover man in a hospital bed—covered in bandages. This sure makes for an anti-climactic film, as you know the guy will survive—no matter how dangerous his position is late in the film.Despite having a cast completely made up of unknowns and a very low budget, the film works reasonably well. As I said above, the suspense could have been a lot better had the story not been told as a flashback by the agent, but it's competently made, reasonably engaging and, at times, pretty exciting. While not a great film, it's a pretty good time-passer.