They Made Me a Criminal
A boxer flees, convinced he has committed a murder while intoxicated.
Director(s)
Busby Berkeley
Where to watch
Cultpix
Free
JustWatch TV
Free
Plex Channel
Free
Artiflix
Free
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
CinemaSerf
This is one of these films that you need to allow quite a bit of latitude, else you will rule it just too implausible and stop watching. John Garfield ("Johnnie") is a world champion boxer who finds himself embroiled in the death of a journalist. His problem is, he was totally sozzled after his victory so cannot recall what he did, or didn't, do - so absconds to a remote Arizona ranch where he helps the elderly May Robson who runs a refuge for wayward teenagers. That's where he meets, and falls for "Peggy" (Gloria Dickson) and settles down to a respectable life helping teach the boys how to focus their energies on boxing. Thing is, New York plod "Whelan" (Claude Rains) is on his case, and soon this newly found utopia is at risk... Garfield does a fitting job here, he is eminently plausible as the flawed prizefighter and his character's evolution as the story develops is engaging too. Rains features sparingly for much of the film, and I found his efforts a little disappointingly constrained when he did appear. The film really, for me anyway, belonged to the "Dead End Kids" - playing the best game of strip poker I think I've ever seen in a family movie. It's a bit too long, but has good pace, plenty of action, decent dialogue and the romance is kept to a minimum - well worth a watch.
They Made Me a Criminal FAQs
Busby Berkeley is the director of They Made Me a Criminal.
The cast of They Made Me a Criminal includes Charles Sullivan as Second Fight Trainer (uncredited), Cyril Ring as First Fight Ringsider (uncredited), John Dilson as Doctor (uncredited), Stuart Holmes as Second Fight Timekeeper (uncredited), Donald Kerr as Man in Ring After First Fight (uncredited), Cliff Clark as Manager, Frank Mayo as Man at First Fight with Tophat (uncredited), John Sheehan as Man in Front of Grandma (uncredited), Tom Dugan as Man Behind Grandma (uncredited), Leyland Hodgson as Mr. Williamson (uncredited), William B. Davidson as Ennis, Mushy Callahan as Schwimmer (uncredited), and more.
The duration of They Made Me a Criminal is 1h 32 mins.
You can watch They Made Me a Criminal on Cultpix (Free), JustWatch TV (Free), Plex Channel (Free), and Artiflix (Free). Check this Fanbiz page for the latest platforms.
They Made Me a Criminal was released on 21 Jan 1939.
They Made Me a Criminal is listed under Crime and Drama on Fanbiz.
They Made Me a Criminal has 1 review on Fanziz, with an average rating of 7.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "This is one of these films that you need to allow quite a bit of latitude, else you will rule it just too implausible and stop watching. John Garfield ("Johnnie") is a world cha..."
