The Defiant Ones

The Defiant Ones is a 1958 American drama film directed by Stanley Kramer, based on an original screenplay by Harold Jacob Smith. The movie tells the story of two convicts, John "Joker" Jackson, a white man portrayed by Tony Curtis, and Noah Cullen, an angry black man played by Sidney Poitier, who escape from a Mississippi police vehicle while chained to each other. The film opens with John "Joker" Jackson (Tony Curtis) being transported by the police to the penitentiary for a life sentence after being accused of attempted manslaughter and armed robbery. Meanwhile, Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier), an African American man, is transported to the very same prison after getting convicted in connection with a bank robbery. The two men have been handcuffed and chained together at the wrists in a manner that does not allow their hands to be detached from one another as they are being transported. The escape of the two prisoners takes place on a rural stretch of country road that winds its way through a dense forest when they manage to overpower the guards who are transporting them with relative ease. Following their daring escape from the police vehicle, John and Noah are forced to rely on each other in order to survive their arduous journey across the vast and unforgiving Mississippi countryside. Initially, John's white racist views seem to create tension between him and Noah. However, as they continue to navigate the unforgiving environment of the rural south, their differing social backgrounds gradually fade away as they learn to trust one another in the face of adversity. They also manage to outsmart the law by using their cunning and the resources they find along their way to stay several steps ahead of their pursuers. However, a more pressing concern that eventually develops into a major source of strife for both men is their diverging goals following the escape. While John's main aim is to return home and reconnect with his family after being presumed lost forever during the escape, Noah has no intention of returning to prison after serving his five years as he was sentenced for bank robbery; he is instead determined to disappear and live out his life as a free man, starting fresh with a new identity in a distant location. Over time, it becomes clear that they are heading towards fundamentally different destinations. Given the stark contrast between their goals and their diverging interests, they are both eventually forced to make an agonizing decision that puts their newfound sense of camaraderie to the ultimate test. Throughout the arduous and grueling journey the men share as they navigate a perilous and unforgiving world, they gradually learn the value of human life and, most crucially, empathy by relying solely on one another for survival in an often harsh and unforgiving environment.