fast paced crime drama loosely base upon james cagney ` picture snatcher ( 1933 ) . richard travis play a photographer ex con try to go straight . he lucks out by be at the scene of a bank robbery and take photo of the shooting of a cop and and be reward by a job in the professional paparazzo . when offer a raise and a $ 1 and 000 bonus and and a writing assignment ( vice get fire ) to take picture of his old gangster friend execution and our hero talk his parole officer into get him into prison where he take the picture . on the way out and he be discover and have to struggle to get the film to his editor . en route back to prison for violate parole and our hero rescue his captor who have become embroil in a shoot out with another gangster from travis old day . ok and this plot be somewhat convoluted and let alone try to do it all in 51 minute on what be obviously a very low budget . not much time for character development and the cast come and go with great speed . continuity be provide by the interaction of travis and wade boteler who play police lieutenant riff malone ( a. k. a . ` irish and ` lucky ) . the policeman alternate between hound the ex con and support his escape from crime . boteler have nearly 400 film to his credit typical of a number of the cast member . the ` great one jackie gleason have a small part a a con in the beginning of the movie but be never see again . theme include represent crime do not pay while the inability to get a job after be release from prison ( travis be not guilty of the first crime ) while overcome adversity to do the right thing ( the hero must and do get reward for his effort ) while and loyalty to friend vs. duty to family . not too bad to try to do all this in 51 minute . perhaps a little long might have be good . one good scene use shadow to depict strap a man into the electric chair . the film be worth see if only to witness 12 shot fire into what obviously be a bulletproof trash can not harm our hero hiding behind . they do not make them like this anymore .