“I was spawned during the Roosevelt era, a time of great change. I still believe in getting people to think, but I don’t believe films change anyone’s mind.” –Stanley Kramer.

Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis play Noah Cullen and John “Joker” Jackson respectively, two chain gang inmates being transported back to prison after a day of labor. When their truck overturns, Cullen and Jackson make their escape despite the fact that they are shackled together and their mutual hatred threatens to derail any hope of survival. As they struggle to evade the warden and the search party he has assembled, the tethered inmates are forced to reevaluate their prejudices and work together to attain freedom.