The Defiant Ones
Stanley Kramer's ground-breaking film starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier...
Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) and John Joker Jackson (Tony Curtis) are two convicts on the run. Escaping from a Southern work gang, the two men are bound together by an unbreakable iron chain and separated by an unbridled hatred towards each other. Relentlessly pursued by a bloodthirsty posse, they must put aside their differences if they are going to survive.
Nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, Stanley Kramer's The Defiant Ones broke new ground by delivering its message of racial tolerance through a fast-moving blend of action and suspense. It remains a raw, powerful film that is as exciting as it is moving, real and literate. Highly acclaimed upon release for its directing, writing, cinematography and acting, (Sidney Poitier won numerous awards for his role, including the coveted Silver Bear for Best Actor) The Defiant Ones remains one of the most influential films of its era.