you only live once be director fritz lang second american film after leave nazi germany . the first one fury be a tale of mindless mob violence against an innocent man catch in circumstance not of his own making . this one however have a career criminal try to go straight and but with no one willing to give him a break . arrest for a bank robbery that he do not commit and the result death from same and henry fonda be on death row await execution . his girlfriend and sylvia sydney help him escape and in the escape and prison chaplain william gargan be kill by fonda . gargan be one of the few friend he have and now fonda and sydney be fugitive . to be sure there be some plot hole . for one thing i would like to know just what fonda have do before that make him a three time loser in the first place before the action of the story take place . nevertheless it a good piece of film making and the star register real poignancy in their performance . this barely get make . henry fonda hat the dictatorial fritz lang during the making of this and almost walk out several time . later on they have equally bad relation during the shooting of the return of frank james . the real life exploit of clyde barrow and bonnie parker influence the writing of the screenplay . of course the barrow or parker duo be hardly the innocent that fonda and sydney be . but then again this be the heyday of social liberalism during the new deal when it be believe all of life ill could be cure with the right government social program . barton maclane a fonda attorney delivers one of his few performance a a good guy . during the thirty and forty maclane play tough and ruthless gangster and police official and some of the latter quite corrupt . i be so used to see maclane a a bad guy this be something of a revelation to me . it a dated story and but full of poignant tragedy and worthy of a look .