Riot in Cell Block 11

1954
15
1h 20m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Fed up with the inhumane prison living conditions, a general prison riot breaks out, leading to hostage-taking, a stand-off with the guards and eventual negotiations with the prison administ... Read allFed up with the inhumane prison living conditions, a general prison riot breaks out, leading to hostage-taking, a stand-off with the guards and eventual negotiations with the prison administration officials.Fed up with the inhumane prison living conditions, a general prison riot breaks out, leading to hostage-taking, a stand-off with the guards and eventual negotiations with the prison administration officials.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 3 nominations total

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Leo Gordon had served five years for armed robbery at San Quentin State Prison. For this reason, Heinze, the Folsom warden, originally objected to Gordon appearing in the film, but director Don Siegel was able to convince him that Gordon was no threat to the prison.

Goofs
When the state police force the convicts back into the prison by launching a barrage of tear gas at them, the police move forward, into the area being bombarded. The convicts are overcome by the gas, but the police aren't - even though they're not wearing gas masks and are enshrouded by the same gas the convicts are.

Quotes
Warden Reynolds: I promise you no harm will come to you during this conversation. Guard! These are my instructions. Dunn is to be allowed to come into this yard and return to 11 without interference.

Crazy credits
The following acknowledgment appears after the opening credits: "We wish to thank Mr. Richard A. McGee and his staff of the California Department of Corrections, Warden Heinze, Associate Warden Ryan, Correctional officers and the inmates of Folsom Prison for their co-operation."

Connections
Edited into Crashout (1955)

User reviews27

Featured review

8/10

Early Siegel

Several prison inmates, to protest brutal guards, substandard food, overcrowding and barely livable conditions, stage an uprising, in which most of the inmates join, and take several guards hostage. Negotiations between the inmates and prison officials are stymied, however, by politicians interfering with the prison administration, and by dissension and infighting in the inmates' own ranks.

The producer Walter Wanger (known for Ford's "Stagecoach" and Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent") had recently been in prison for shooting his wife's lover, and his experience there motivated this production. The film was shot on location at Folsom State Prison with real inmates and guards playing background roles.

"Riot in Cell Block 11" was the first film work for Sam Peckinpah, who was hired as a third assistant casting director by Don Siegel. Wanger and Siegel would team up again two years later for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers".

The Criterion release is a must-have, with plenty of background information on those involved, the inspiration, related writings and an excellent audio commentary from a noted film historian.