this film be hardly a classic and nor be it a social protest movie that most of these misguided reviewer would have you believe . it fall into the realm of impressionable exploitation film that attempt to substantiate struggle theater with their wealthy competitor . warner bros. look for controversial theme to release them from their box office slump and find it with topic like this and package emotional rubbish into the screen in the form of low budget b grade content film . anyone who think warner bros be a redeeming and care company interested in the plight of man be delude and they be merely out to make a profit and nothing more . examine their union record and dictatorial management and abuse of right at the time if you do not believe me . surely and a film which pull at your heart be only intend to pull at your wallet . the film itself have a weak script and stale acting ( border on dull to over anxious ) and b grade direction and poor dialogue and be tedious . it meander through one half hearted empty skit after another and dislodge u from any sincere interest at all . muni be a boorish actor and neither disguise his brusque act method nor elaborate on any convincing emotion . standard film shot be scatter throughout and of location and event in history and a parade from ww 1 and a real street scene in chicago and and this further aggravate the authenticity of the whole subject and make the film look cut up because most of it be film on cheap warner bros set in pasadena . the chain gang scene be unrealistic and exaggerated and and only attempt to garner instant condemnation from the viewer . i do not need a mediocre film to instigate that chain gang be evil and i should know that from my own knowledge and and far more and this film contradict itself because capitalism itself be slavery and there be so much insane dialog about the virtue of work in the beginning . i fail to believe that there be a difference between a worker at a factory occupy for 12 hour a day like a slave and a man stick on a chain gang . an average film reduce by film historian and buff to a classic merely because they can not understand why film have to make a profit for the capitalistic and authoritarian film company which produce them . do not tell me about social awareness when only profit to powerful monopolistic company be involve .