Fury (1936)

An innocent man (Spencer Tracy) is arrested for the kidnapping of a little girl. A bloodthirsty small town lynch mob sets fire to the jail where he is being held. Though believed dead, he miraculously has escaped but he plots his revenge on those who "killed" him. Based on the short story MOB RULE by Norman Krasna and directed by Fritz Lang in his Hollywood film debut. It's an odd film to come out of the slick MGM factory, its subject matter would seem more suited to the grittier Warner Brothers style (I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG, PUBLIC ENEMY). FURY is a greatly admired movie which many consider his best American film. I wished I liked it better but the truth is, I found it contrived, too obvious and often hysterical in its execution. Tracy snarls his way through most of the film which leaves Sylvia Sidney as his traumatized fiancee to provide the human connection. Regardless, I must confess it's very effective. With Walter Brennan, Walter Abel, Frank Albertson and Bruce Cabot.