Ensofter
Overrated and overhyped
Stoutor
It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . as Humphrey Bogart, born in 1899, pretends to be a 25-year-old (apparently stricken with one of those premature aging diseases). A chain smoker, Bogart could more plausibly pass for 60 than 25 at this point in his film career. To rub salt in viewers' wounded sensibilities, the plot of SAN QUENTIN is a garble of Sunday School hogwash, no doubt scribbled out during rest breaks from Latin recitals. Bogart's character "Kennedy" could have seen his son become a U.S. president. Instead, minions of the lemon-sucking One Per Cent, represented here by "Steve Jameson" (Pat O'Brien) glory in their hypocrisy while wallowing in corruption as great as that found in present day Russia or China. Jameson makes one desperate attempt after another to charm the bloomers off Kennedy's sister, in a clear conflict of interest with his duties as guard captain at Kennedy's prison. He sets up Kennedy's escape, then lies to uniform cops to aid and abet a fleeing felon. (If this is not a Capital Crime, then there's no justice in America.) Since the bozos on the ecclesiastical board of U.S. Censors contend that they have a Divine Dispensation to overlook all sins of the Rich, they felt no qualms in letting Mr. O'Brien's Lord Fauntleroy character come out smelling like a rose at the end of his crime spree which resulted in Kennedy's and others' deaths. When you're wondering how America could build up so much Bad Karma to deserve the horrible losses we suffered in WWII, you need not look much beyond SAN QUENTIN.
Michael O'Keefe
One of the better early prison movies is SAN QUENTIN directed by Lloyd Bacon for Warner Brothers. A fast paced drama starring Pat O'Brien as(Captain Stephen Jameson), a former military officer who accepts a job at the infamous San Quentin prison and brings with him ideas of military-style-reform. His changes don't go over easy with hardened criminals like 'Sailor Boy' Hanson(Joe Sawyer) and fresh new 'fish' like Joe Kennedy(Humphrey Bogart). An uprising of discontent begins when a bitter guard(Barton MacLane)informs some of the prison population that Jameson is dating Kennedy's attractive sister(Ann Sheridan).Movies like this flourished in America during the Great Depression and it is very odd that it was actually banned in Finland. Rounding out the cast: Joe King, James Robbins, Garry Owen, Veda Ann Borg and William Pawley.
ferbs54
"San Quentin" was Humphrey Bogart's 21st picture, his fifth of seven in the year 1937 alone, and the ninth following his 1936 breakthrough in "The Petrified Forest." In this one he plays Joe "Red" Kennedy, who goes to the titular big house as a young tough and comes under the wing of an even tougher bird, "Sailor" Hansen, well played, as usual, by Warner Bros. character actor Joe Sawyer. The new "captain of the yard," underplayed nicely by the always dependable Pat O'Brien, enters into a romance with Kennedy's sister May, a sassy and brassy nightclub singer appealingly portrayed by Ann Sheridan, whilst causing resentment in the previous captain, the forever growling Barton MacLane. This was an important role for Bogey, in a relatively minor (though undeniably fun) picture, in that it provided him with his first "criminal with a heart of mush" role, a role that would see its apotheosis four years later in "High Sierra." "San Quentin" is a remarkably compact film, and it really is something how much action and story are crammed into its brief 70 minutes. Director Lloyd Bacon does keep things moving; his film is filled with swiftly delivered, hard-boiled patter, and an aborted prison strike, an escape attempt, a dynamite high-speed car chase, a romance and even a nightclub number (Ann's rendition of the very bright and bouncy "How Could You?") keep things percolating right along. There is no flab or wasted moments in this Warner Bros. outing, that's for sure! Although not quite in the same exalted league as Bogey's next picture, "Dead End," "San Quentin" does still deliver the goods. It is a must-see for fans of any of the stars mentioned above, especially for those who want to see Bogey's star early on and unmistakably on the rise....
ccthemovieman-1
This is one of those odd situations where the actors were some big names and decent in their performances, and the story wasn't bad....yet there wasn't much appeal to it, either. Only the action scene in the last 10-15 minutes provided any spark to this film which was too flat, for the most part.The story was about a new guy in charge of the San Quentin prison yard who was going to be humane and make things work. Pat O'Brien plays that guy, "Capt. Steve Jameson." The previous man in charge is a nasty, corrupt bird named "Lt. Druggin," who Barton MacLane plays effectively well. In the meantime we have the featured crook, "Red Kennedy," played by Humphrey Bogart, who almost always played villains in his 1930 films, and we have his sister "May" played by Ann Sheridan. O'Brien has the hots for her and promises to be fair to her brother. "Red," however, is too paranoid and stupid to appreciate what's done for him and that's when we get to the interesting finale to the film.Overall, not bad but not worth watching a second time. At 70 minutes, at least it didn't overstay its welcome.
