Dave from Ottawa Caryl Chessman, in 1960, was one of the last Americans executed for crimes other than murder. While on death row, he wrote a celebrated book and became the face of the anti-death penalty movement.Alan Alda strikes a convincing note as the cocky Caryl Chessman, convicted and sentenced to death in a string of crimes known as the Red Light Bandit attacks. The movie's creators, however, cheat a bit by making Chessman a little too sympathetic. Alda throws a chair across a room to show his frustration in one scene, but the film stops short of showing just how confrontational and difficult to like Chessman was in real life. Chessman was a brilliant writer, but anyone carefully reading his books sees a fundamentally dishonest and manipulative sociopath behind the clever prose. He proclaims his innocence of the crimes, yet never bothers to account for why their pattern so closely matches his own descriptions of his earlier exploits that landed him in Folsom Penitentiary. Had the film gone in for more of a warts and all approach to the character, it would have succeeded at being at least less dishonest than its subject.That said, the film accurately captures its period and brings out the many details in Chessman's trial that seemed to indicate that it was something less than fair. The film tiptoes around the central issue of Chessman's guilt, portraying the Red Light Bandit crimes in flashback without showing the identity of the perpetrator. But his fight for fair treatment by the justice system, guilty or not, makes for strong cinema. This movie is definitely worth a watch, however one might view its protagonist's guilt.

Michael O'Keefe Alan Alda's super performance dominates this story of Caryl Chessman, who was arrested in Los Angeles in 1948 as the Red-Light Bandit. Flashing a red light resembling that used by the police, the "Bandit" would approach victims parked in lonely spots to rob the men and rape the women. Chessman spent 12 years on death row due to many counts of robbery, kidnapping and rape. After writing four books from Cell 2455, Chessman was executed in San Quentin's gas chamber in 1960. Alda conveyed the cockiness and arrogance of the convicted rapist who always exclaimed his innocence.Sometimes a little sluggish at two hours, but interesting due to the uncanny portrayal by Alda. Also in the cast are:Talia Shire, James Sikking and John Hillerman. Above average crime drama.

JimHammond I arrived at my destination (a commune) and was told to wait in a sitting room for them to process my application. The sitting room had a TV, and it was showing this movie. This movie was as awful as a movie can be, and by the time it was over I again truly understood how much it is a shame to waste precious time. For any reader of this post, do not see this piece of junk.Sometimes I have got to tell it like it is!

brew-5 Oh man, I saw this when I was about 9 at hotel somewhere in Pennsylvania (this was in 1977!) and the thing that haunted me for years, years!! - was the image of Alan Alda strapped into the gas chamber and being executed.The admonition of the guard to 'breathe deeply, it'll be easier' was so chilling that I can remember it to this day! I've never seen the movie since but those images are so vivid I can't forget them!On a political note, it makes you think about capital punishment and whether or not you're for or against it, it does spark a debate on how punishment is administered.