JACQUES TOURNEUR DIRECTS TOM NEAL IN 'THEY ALL COME OUT'

Poster art for They All Come Out Year: 1939 Rates: ***1/2

Director Jacques Tourneur's first feature is the polar opposite of edgy Prison Noirs since THEY ALL COME OUT is unapologetic propaganda of the U.S. Correctional System, even more than FBI-backed vehicles like THE STREET WITH NO NAME or G-MEN wherein hard-boiled crime fare plays out from beginning to end following a sparse introduction while this is half-and-half... starting with the usual Depression-era gangsters robbing banks where Rita Johnson's Kitty makes a terrific femme fatale... but with a soft side... working for no-nonsense gang boss Bernard Nedell, who leads muggy thugs and a young handsome driver that the dame actually discovered: Enter future DETOUR actor Tom Neal displaying genuine toughness... yet there's some good in him too... 

And just as the rudimentary rugged crime flick picks up steam, turning into a violent highway trek with cars crashing and guns blasting, the girl and men are suddenly captured and thrown into various prisons. But Tourneur keeps the stories interesting, even when the propaganda kicks into high gear, and, as supportive, open-minded officials decide upon what's best for their inmates sans cliché sadistic wardens, bullying guards and shiv-shoving inmates, THEY ALL COME OUT maintains a pulpy page-turning cadence, keeping the viewer intrigued about how things'll turn out despite being fairly obvious. 

Poster for THEY ALL COME OUT

Poster for THEY ALL COME OUT