Set in Folsom Prison in California, the film revolves around a man who is serving a life sentence for killing his father where he gets attention for his running as he is given a chance to compete for a spot at the upcoming Olympics. It is a film that explores a man who is given the chance to get out of prison though he wants to serve his time as he also finds himself in the middle of a serious conflict within different prison gangs. The film’s teleplay by Michael Mann and Patrick J. Nolan is straightforward in its narrative as it follows Larry Murphy (Peter Strauss) who is serving a life sentence for killing his father in self-defense as he is a loner who prefers to do his time while running every day at the prison yard with his only friend in R.C. Stiles (Richard Lawson) who is hoping to see his wife and newborn baby girl in a few months. Prison psychiatrist Dr. Bill Janowski (Geoffrey Lewis) and its warden Earl Gulliver (Billy Green Bush) takes notices of Murphy’s running and speed where they contact a state track and field coach in Jerry Beloit (Ed Lauter) who sees Murphy run as he realizes he has what it takes to be at the Olympics.
The script does not just play into Murphy getting his own freedom but also finding himself in this conflict between different prison gangs where Stiles becomes impatient as he makes a deal with gang leader Dr. D. (Brian Dennehy) into getting a conjugal visit from his wife only to realize the role had to play. Murphy warned Stiles to not do this as it gets the attention of the black gang leader Roger E. Mosley (Burton Gilliam) who isn’t fond of Murphy but realizes that Dr. D. is the one pulling the strings leading to Mosley, his gang, and members of the Chicano gang to help Murphy out in creating a track suitable for his upcoming track meet.
Mann’s direction is straightforward in its overall presentation as it is shot on location at Folsom Prison in Folsom, California along with additional locations near Los Angeles. Mann’s usage of real inmates gives the film a true sense of danger while also displaying a world that is intense yet with a sense of control since these inmates do not engage too much into violence preferring to keep to themselves in their own little factions. There are some wide shots that Mann utilizes to establish the scope of the Folsom grounds as well as a few bits outside of the prison where Murphy would run while still being under the watch of Beloit and the warden. Yet, Mann would emphasize more on close-ups and medium shots with the latter to play into how small a prison cell is or the space of a kitchen or any other place in the prisons that add to this sense of claustrophobia. Even as Mann’s close-ups play into the drama where Dr. Janowski tries to understand what Murphy did to be sent to prison.
Mann does display some of the chaos within the prisons as the violence is unforgiving though Mann does maintain some restraint since this was made for network TV. Mann does go into the schematics of prison politics where Murphy is a target because of his friendship with Stiles, whom Mosley tries to recruit to join his faction for protection. Once Mosley realizes how much Murphy really did care for Stiles and what had happened due to Dr. D’s involvement, Mosley and the Chicano gang leader Rubio (Miguel Pinero) decided to go against Dr. D. and his faction as an act of solidarity towards Murphy and his chances to compete for a spot in the Olympics. The film’s third act is about the race and its aftermath where it plays into a much darker world within the Olympics that even upsets the likes of Dr. Janowski, Gulliver, and Beloit that plays into another form of politics that is more complicated and ruthless. Overall, Mann crafts a captivating and exhilarating film about a prison inmate given a chance to compete for a spot for the Olympics.
Cinematographer Rexford L. Metz does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in the usage of low-key lights for some of the interior scenes at night along with some natural lighting for exterior scenes as much of the film is shot during the daytime. Editor Arthur Schmidt does terrific work with the editing that include some slow-motion shots, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into the action. Art director Stephen Myles Berger and set decorator William K. Jolley do fantastic work with some of the interiors in the prison kitchen, laundry rooms, and tool places as well as some of the bits in the prison cells.
The sound work of Michael Hilkene and James E. Webb is superb for its approach to capturing all the natural sound on location as well as the way certain small moments in the sound are presented to play into that unsettling world that is Folsom Prison. The film’s music by Jimmie Haskell is wonderful for its mixture of soothing electronic textures with elements of rock and blues that includes a variation of the Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil as well as a version of another Stones song in No Expectations.
The casting by Ross Brown and Hank McCann is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Miguel Pinero as the Chicano gang leader Rubio, William Prince as the O.A.U. chairman who appears late in the film as someone trying to protect the reputation of the Olympics, Burton Gilliam and Richard Moll as a couple of Dr. D’s associates respectively in Jimmy-Jack and Joker Gibb with the former being the man who would put Stiles in touch with Dr. D., and Beverly Todd as a woman pretending to be Stiles’ wife during the conjugal visit as she is revealed to be connected to Dr. D. Roger E. Mosley is fantastic as the African American faction leader Cotton Crown who is not fond of Stiles being close to Murphy until he realizes how close Murphy is to Stiles where he decides to support him in the upcoming track competition. Billy Green Bush is superb as the warden Earl Gulliver as a man who is trying to run the prison as he sees that getting Murphy in the Olympics might get good publicity and hopefully some improvements for the prison. Ed Lauter is excellent as the track and field coach Jerry Beloit who is amazed by Murphy’s skills as he realizes he is coaching someone that has so much more to offer as he just wants to live through Murphy.
Geoffrey Lewis is brilliant as the prison psychologist Dr. Bill Janowski who is among those who discovers Murphy’s brilliance as a runner while also trying to understand Murphy’s state of mind and why he put himself in prison for killing his father. Brian Dennehy is amazing as Dr. D. as the leader of a faction for white prisoners who also runs the drug trade from within to have some political power within the prison. Richard Lawson is incredible as R.C. Stiles as a fellow inmate who is the one friend of Murphy as he is eager to see his wife and newborn daughter for an upcoming conjugal visit, but his impatience has him getting into some trouble when he involves himself with Dr. D. Finally, there’s Peter Strauss in a phenomenal performance as Larry Murphy as an inmate serving a life sentence as he is also a talented runner that is given a chance to get a spot for the Olympics where he deals with his own issues and being the target of a political war as it is a strong and fierce performance from Strauss who is a highlight of the film.
The Jericho Mile is a remarkable film by Michael Mann that features an incredible leading performance from Peter Strauss. Along with its ensemble cast, realistic setting at Folsom Prison, a riveting music soundtrack, and some unique visuals that play into the sense of realism and grit of the film. It is a TV movie that explores a man given a unique opportunity while dealing with his actions in the hopes he can get a new lease on life for himself. In the end, The Jericho Mile is a marvelous film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: Thief - The Keep - Manhunter - L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - Heat - The Insider – Ali - Collateral - Miami Vice - Public Enemies - Blackhat - (Ferrari) – (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2)
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2 comments:
I haven't even heard of this one, but sounds fascinating. Wow, Brian Dennehy... he sure was one of the best character actors. Not sure I can handle that prison violence that you mentioned though.
@Ruth-There's not that much violence in the film as it's a bit more restrained in comparison to other prison films and other films that Mann has made.
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