Panamint
Made in a perfunctory manner, to get the job done but not really to shine. A fine plot that could have been a classic in the right hands with the right budget is carried out competently enough, so "Parole, Inc." kept me interested. Everything moves briskly along.Talented actors including the charismatic Ms. Ankers go through their work with professionalism but don't have anything to work with character-wise. In fact, the big flaw here is total absence of character development. Who are these characters and what makes them tick- I guess we weren't meant to wonder such things.Skilled acting and a good amount of plot-driven tension are adequate to carry this film despite lacking any depth or style, and with only average direction, editing etc.Its OK but there are many better crime films of the era.
fredcdobbs5
This low-budget little crime thriller actually turned out to be better than I thought it would be. Cagney-like Michael O'Shea plays a federal investigator who goes undercover to expose a crime ring that gets undeserving prisoners paroled in its care, resulting in a crime wave that's wracking the city. O'Shea is quite good as the feisty agent posing as a convict on the lam, and Turhan Bey is fine as a slick, villainous lawyer. The script by "B" veterans Sherman Lowe and Royal Cole is serviceable if predictable, and some of the supporting performances are weak, but little-known director Alfred Zeisler keeps things moving along, although a little raggedly. All in all, a pretty good example of the low-budget independent "B" thriller of the late '40s. Worth a watch.
MartinHafer
This B-movie is about a scam where the parole board is releasing undeserving candidates. An investigator decides to go undercover in order to root out who is on the take as well as their confederates. So, he poses as a real guy who had just recently escaped from prison—which is great unless any of the crooks knew this escapee. You figure this plan does not go perfectly, as the story is a flashback and periodically the film returns to the present—and shows the undercover man in a hospital bed—covered in bandages. This sure makes for an anti-climactic film, as you know the guy will survive—no matter how dangerous his position is late in the film.Despite having a cast completely made up of unknowns and a very low budget, the film works reasonably well. As I said above, the suspense could have been a lot better had the story not been told as a flashback by the agent, but it's competently made, reasonably engaging and, at times, pretty exciting. While not a great film, it's a pretty good time-passer.
Snow Leopard
Though low-budget and rather predictable, "Parole, Inc." is a fairly good crime story. It moves reasonably quickly, and keeps the viewer's attention most of the time.Hendricks (Michael O'Shea) is a federal agent investigating widespread abuses of the parole system. Several dangerous criminals have received unjustified paroles, and evidence points to an organized system of bribery. Agent Hendricks has to go undercover and win the confidence of the gang involved. O'Shea does a creditable job in the lead. Turhan Bey plays a suave lawyer who figures in the agent's investigation.The story that follows is generally predictable, without any real twists or surprises. But it is done well enough to be fairly interesting, is moderately fast-paced, and is usually believable. The characters are mostly stereotypes, but are not overdone.Overall, this is a watchable movie that should hold some interest for fans of crime films.
AD
