Convict’s Code is a Monogram Pictures crime drama from 1939 about an ex-football player and star, David Tyler (Robert Kent, The Phantom Creeps, Mr. Moto Takes a Chance) who was framed for murder and sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Out on parole, Tyler sets out to clear his name and find the real killer! He also gets a job at a financial investment company and by some amazing plot convenience, Tyler’s boss Greg Warren (Sidney Blackmer, Little Caesar, In Old Chicago) and his partner in the business Joe Russell (Norman Willis) who just so happen to be the actual culprits who framed Tyler! While he looks to clear his name and looking for the real murderers, Tyler falls in love with Greg’s sister Julie Warren (Anne Nagel, Bullets or Ballots, Mad Made Monster) adding a little spice to the story.
Convict’s Code is another in a long list of low-budget and yet, enjoyable Monogram Pictures’ films! It’s a harmless one hour. The actors give solid performances. I liked that there was hardly any musical scores which added a nice touch to the movie, giving the movie some added atmosphere. The movie reminded me of some of those classic Chesterfield Pictures from the thirties for those who have seen those know what I am talking about. The love interest sub-plot added more complexity to the feature. The ending does seem to come out of nowhere and feel a bit rushed! It was a somewhat anti-climatic finish.
Film Masters has given Convict’s Code a Blu-ray release. It is a BDr like all their archive collection releases.
This black and white obscure classic is presented in it’s 1:37:1 aspect ratio. The picture quality for this release looks fine overall with dark black levels, crisp whites and a balanced greyscale. It has a nice cleaned-up, polished appearance with just a few faint vertical lines that appear here and there. Details to characters faces, interior and exterior shots in my opinion look excellent. No digital enhancements such as DNR appears to have been applied.
For this Blu-ray, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack was clear, with easy-to-follow dialogue. Action noises and what there was of music also sound excellent, blending in with dialogue fluidly without any sounds being overly aggressive with no hissing or drop-offs detected. English subtitles are offered for this Blu-ray.
There are no extras for this release.
For classic film fans that love black and white movies, I can recommend this release as the film is engaging and will keep your interest for the entire hour runtime. The audio and video quality for this picture is excellent! If you haven’t seen Convict’s Code, it is worth checking out!
Convict’s Code
Director – Lambert Hillyer
Cast- Robert Kent, Anne Nagle
Country of Origin-USA
Distributor – Film Masters
Number of Discs –1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date –7/4/2025