A Man Betrayed: A dusty slice of frame-up cinema

Is this thing worth your time?

If you like movies that move at a breakneck pace and don't really care if the plot makes sense, sure. This is perfect for a Sunday afternoon when you’re doing laundry and want something playing in the background that won't require a master's degree to follow. If you’re looking for Citizen Kane, you are definitely at the wrong address.

Frank Powell is the kind of guy who probably irons his socks. He’s an honest stock salesman, which is basically an oxymoron, but he’s our hero anyway. When his boss decides to jump out of a window rather than face the music, the real bad guys—who look like they belong in a cartoon about crooked business—decide to pin the whole thing on Frank.

The prison break that wasn't

The middle part of this flick is just wild. Frank ends up in the slammer, obviously, but then there's this botched jailbreak by a real gangster. Frank is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, handcuffed to a guy who’s busy trying to run from the coppers. It’s a mess, but a fun one. It reminded me a little of the frantic energy in Trapped, even if the stakes here feel a bit smaller.

His brother Curtis is a missionary. I’m not sure why a missionary is so good at helping people evade the law, but he plays along. Watching a guy who should be quoting scripture instead helping his brother dodge bullets is... a choice. It adds a weird, dry humor that the script probably didn't intend.

• The dialogue is mostly just people shouting exposition at each other.
• The lighting in the prison scenes is so dark I think they forgot to pay the electric bill.
• Frank looks perpetually confused, which honestly, same.

The whole thing wraps up so quickly you almost forget it started. It’s not profound. It’s not trying to change the world. Sometimes, that’s actually refreshing. There’s a scene near the end where the bad guys are sitting in a room just looking miserable, and I couldn't help but laugh. They really didn't know how to act when things started going south for them. 🕵️‍♂️

It’s flawed. It’s definitely low-budget. But it doesn't try to be anything it isn't. It just wants to get Frank home in time for dinner, or whatever. Worth a look if you’re into the old-school stuff that fills out the bottom half of a double feature.