He was an innocent man sentenced to a Georgia

chain gang. His two escapes astounded the nation. 

His story is true.

This is a made for TV movie from 1987.  It is based on the 1932 movie, I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang, starring Paul Muni.

Val Kilmer stars as Robert Burns in this gritty and chilling drama about a man who falls in with a vicious pack of thieves during a robbery and is thrown into a Georgia chain gang.  Unable to endure the brutality he escapes and attempts to bury his past.

Burns befriends two women. One Emily (Sonia Braga) a wealthy woman who helps him turn a failing magazine into a success and the other, Lillian (Kyra Sedgwick) who arouses his deepest desires.

With memories of guard beatings, tortures and torments, Burns vows to make public the truth about chain gangs - abolishing them forever.

This can be a difficult movie to find.  Not released on DVD. It is available on old VHS tapes which can occasionally be purchased used, as it is no longer in print. 

This movie also stars Charles Durning as the sadistic warden.

Our Two Cents: This movie is powerful and well acted.  It is definitely worth your time to find and watch. But the brutality can be painful to see, which is a tribute to Kilmer's fine portrayal of this character.  It is highly recommended, and regrettable that this movie is not more available to the public.