Corruption comes in many forms, not just from the gangsters and the armed thugs on the streets. Sometimes it is found in the very men entrusted to uphold the law. 1956’s Behind the High Wall explores this very subject by showcasing a very realistic situation that could push a good and decent man to commit a crime, then compound it with lies and deflection. It also makes sure that we not only understand the circumstances but also feel sympathy for him, even as we know what he must ultimately do to make things right in the end. This is a film about a moral dilemma where we know what is right but understand why it is so difficult to make the right choice. It’s also a film made during a time when wrong-doers were required to pay for their crimes with no exceptions.
Warden Carmichael (Tom Tully) is frustrated. He has been in his position at the prison on a temporary basis and feels that his policies have hurt his chances of making that job permanent. He has resigned himself to the news that he will have to step down by the end of the week and comes home angry and depressed. But on his way into work he is kidnapped and forced to participate in a breakout, as is another hostage, Todd MacGregor (Don Beddoe). During the escape, the car they are all in gets into a crash. Most of the passengers are killed in the wreck and Carmichael kills the last of the escapees. He also discovers a suitcase full of money. He buries it before the police can arrive and places the blame on Todd, who is unconscious from the crash. But his conscience gets the best of him when Todd is sentenced to death and Todd’s wife, Anne (Betty Lynn) comes to him begging him to help her husband prove his innocence.
Carmichael is a sympathetic character who makes a bad decision that he further complicates with more bad choices. This guilt is best illustrated when he confesses to his wife what he has done and sees her reaction to it. She is bound to a wheelchair because of a recent accident but his revelation about the money hurts her far more than that accident. He tells himself that he is doing the right thing, including how he responds to Anne and Todd, but he knows better and it eats away at him. It eventually wears him down and, when Todd escapes prison and is cornered inside a garage with another inmate, about to be shot down by the police, Carmichael is put in a position where he has to decide just how far he is willing to go to protect himself.
This is an above-average film about a generally good person put in temptation’s way. We are shown his good nature early on when he is fighting for the rights of the prisoners to good food. This character is further cemented by how he cares for his wife after her accident. We are meant to like this man while at the same time condemning the choice he makes. Betty Lynn, who would go on to great fame as Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, gets many great moments to shine here as the dedicated wife who knows her husband is innocent. In fact, there isn’t a weak link amongst the main cast, here. This is one of those films that lives by the strength of its cast. They give it heart and sell, without over-selling, the moral quandary Carmichael has gotten himself into. 1956 - 85 minutes
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