Directed by Lloyd Bacon with a screenplay by Peter Milne and Humphrey Cobb from the story by Robert Tasker and John Bright, this average prison drama features Pat O'Brien as an army officer – Stephen Jameson – hired to improve the conditions at the titled prison.The inmates had been being treated badly by the acting captain, hard-nosed Lieutenant Druggin (Barton MacLane), whose quick trigger solution to every problem is lockup in solitary confinement. The warden (Joseph King) tries a new approach using Jameson who, coincidentally, is dating inmate Joe 'Red' Kennedy's (Humphrey Bogart) sister May (Ann Sheridan).Red has a pretty quick temper himself until Jameson's reforms – which include identifying and separating the career criminals from those who've just had tough breaks – begin to soften his hard edge. Just when it seems that Red is content to serve out the rest of his time peacefully, 'Sailor Boy' Hansen (Joseph Sawyer) turns his loyalties, with help from the jealous Lieutenant Druggin.Veda Ann Borg plays Hansen's girl on the outside; she helps Red and Sailor Boy escape. Marc Lawrence also appears, as do Frank Faylen and Edward Gargan (both uncredited) among many others.

Although it stars Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan and Barton MacLane, this is actually a minor prison feature. The plot comes across as both tediously slow and thoroughly routine, the direction (Lloyd Bacon) ordinary, and the plot fade-out (screenplay by Peter Milne and Humphrey Cobb) corny. On the other hand, there is one spurt of exciting action with a prison break and a high speed car chase. Bogart has a large, characteristic 1930's role. The other players are hampered by the wordy script. O'Brien brings little of his usual color to his performance here, while Sheridan looks far more attractive in the movie's poster than she does in the actual picture. And she's given only one song – and a totally unmemorable number it is at that! MacLane tries to make his role seem more important and attention-getting by way over-acting and constant shouting. But Joe Sawyer is effective in a larger part than usual, while Joseph King is his usual competent self as Warden Taylor. Other roles are small but capably played. Sets are large and realistic, though a fair amount of stock footage is employed. There is a bit of poor process work. Bacon's direction is effective in the action scenes. We like the way he uses tracking shots through crowds of convicts, but he does nothing to enliven the many dull dialogue exchanges. Sid Hickox's photography does not treat Miss Sheridan too kindly (nor does her make-up, hair style or costumes). Other credits are okay, though why so many – Heinz Roemheld, Charles Maxwell and David Raksin – were needed on the nondescript music score is a mystery. Production values are moderate. But perhaps the worst feature of this picture is that it ends suddenly and abruptly.

This is a good solid entertaining formulated prison picture that stars Pat O'Brien & Humphrey Bogart in good form & backed by an excellent cast of Warner Bros. contract players such as Ann Sheridan, Barton Maclane, Joseph Sawyer, Veda Ann Borg etc. Pat O'Brien is the Army Captain Steve Jameson that takes over as the new warden of San Quentin Prison replacing Lt. Druggin (Barton Maclane)who's reduced to a tough prison guard. Humphrey Bogart portrays Joe "Red" Kennedy a small time crook that gets arrested & lands in the Big House & comes face to face with Captain Jameson who thinks Kennedy can be rehabilitated. Bogart is in his element as the tough convict Red Kennedy but also has some depth & dimension predating Roy Earle in High Sierra. Not just another one dimensional type gangster Bogart so often played in the 30's.San Quentin doesn't bring anything new to the genre in 1937, the early 30's already introduced audiences to prison life in The Big House, 20,000 Years in Sing Sing & I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. San Quentin is a very watchable prison movie with a winning formula that works if you like the genre. I love prison movies & if it was good enough for Spencer Tracy, Paul Muni, George Raft & James Cagney then it was good enough for Humphrey Bogart.All these actors were part of the Rogues Gallery of Thugs that excelled in gangster films & did time in the Big House. This is a very fast paced story that packs a lot of elements in just 70 minutes. We see a singing Ann Sheridan, a prison strike, a rifle carrying bible thumping nut ball & of course the inevitable prison escape climaxed by an exciting high speed chase that involves cars, motorcycles, a freight train, spectacular crashes & dare devil stunts. I have this & several other early Bogart & Spencer Tracy movies on VHS & I'm quite pleased to find San Quentin out on commercial DVD, of course I had to buy it & there's even a commentary for this. Which tells me that San Quentin is a fairly significant movie worthy of some attention & praise. Bogart gets 2nd billing to Pat O'Brien, Bogie was previously in Marked Woman 2nd billed to Bette Davis as a crusader of justice. But in 1936 Bogart had the lead role as a factory auto worker in Black Legion, released in 1937. 1937 was a good year for Bogart. His next film was Dead End.

"San Quentin" is definitely nothing special. Nothing so horrible, but nothing that stands out.The main attraction here is simply to watch Bogie do his thing. He plays the punk brother of the girl (Ann Sheridan) who the new prison yard top guy (Pat O'Brien) falls for. So O'Brien has a soft spot for Bogie despite him (O'Brian) being a tough as nails no-nonsense guy.Ann Sheridan is one of the most beautiful actresses of the 30's so she is always fun to watch. Seeing O'Brien act a bit tough is always fun because he's so low-key most of the time, when he actually gets mad and shouts he's kinda funny, in a good way. And Bogie is Bogie, acting tough and being cool.Definitely worth watching to see these three old pros, nothing much else here otherwise.