The Jericho Mile

It’s anthropologically fascinating (in large part because it was filmed at Folsom), intensely acted, and a superlative artifact of an era when a legendary Hollywood career could be born on Sunday night on ABC.

Peter Strauss's powerful performance is just one of the many plusses found in this compelling drama.

Peter Strauss gives one of the great one-off performances in television history.

***Run until the walls come tumblin’ down*** A loner at Folsom State Penitentiary (Peter Strauss) gains attention when it’s discovered that he can run a mile in less than four minutes. Officials naturally try to see if they can enter him in the Olympics. The cast includes Brian Dennehy, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Lawson, Roger E. Mosley and Ed Lauter. "The Jericho Mile" (1979) is a prison movie meshed with sports flick. It’s notable as Michael Mann’s first movie wherein he was limited by TV constraints, yet it shows his potential and explains why he moved on to greatness, e.g. “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992). Being made-for-TV, profanity is replaced by wannabe edgy jive talk, which can be unintentionally amusing. If you can roll with that, this is a worthwhile serious story about great talent being trapped in a cage, not to mention the brotherhood of man regardless of skin color. I could relate to Strauss’ character and I imagine a lot of other viewers can too. The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot at Folsom State Penitentiary, Represa, California, about an hour northeast of Sacramento. Several of the peripheral cast members were prisoners at Folsom and do a commendable job. GRADE: B-