The Defiant Ones

Convicts Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier escape from a chain gang. Curtis' character, John "Joker" Jackson, hates blacks, while Poitier's character, Noah Cullen, hates whites. However, the men are manacled together, forced to rely on each other to survive. Captured at one point by a lynch-happy mob, ...more

The Defiant Ones is best known for its central premise: a black man and white man, chained together and on the lam, must overcome their own prejudices and help each other survive. The racial metaphor is obvious but important nonetheless, seeing as the film was released early in the civil rights movement. The quality performances of Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis help the film avoid mere political posturing. After the success of Blackboard Jungle, Poitier was on the cusp of becoming the first ...more