By this time John Garfield knows exactly how to play the part of an arrogant young tough. Ann Sheridan is learning to add acting to "oomph"; Pat O'Brien is always good as the benign influence, and his prison-warden in "Castle on the Hudson" is no exception. Sing-Sing has had its bleak face on the screen before--many a film star has gone over the dam there. But what makes this picture unusual is probably the fact that Warden Lewis "Twenty Thousand Years" Lawes wrote the original story. The gangster is neither reformed nor reprieved for the crime he didn't commit. The picture ends with Garfield taking his last long walk, strut and all. All Tommy Gordan has learned with the help of Warden Long is that he is as tough as he thinks he is. Love for Miss Sheridan, who did do the murdering in his defense, is what sends him to the chair. The acting of these three is steady, though never exceptional, and that of other prisoners keep things on this even plane. For the hardened prison-movie fan, it's hard to believe Sing-Sing could be so informal, but Warden Lawes should know.

Companion picture "The Ghost Comes Home" does not show Robert Donat returning from the West, unfortunately. There are, however, Frank Morgan and Billie Burke, plus love interest. For those who like to see him mumble and her flutter, this should be amusing.