A man held in Folsom State Penitentiary (played by Peter Strauss) becomes known when it’s noticed he can complete a mile in under four minutes, prompting officials to consider entering him in the Olympic games. The film also features Brian Dennehy, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Lawson, Roger E. Mosley and Ed Lauter. "The Jericho Mile," released in 1979, combines elements of prison dramas with sports films. It’s significant as Michael Mann's debut feature, made under television production restrictions that highlight his promise and offer insight into why he later progressed to projects like “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992). Because it was a made-for-TV movie, offensive language is substituted with awkward attempts at being provocative, which occasionally provides unintentional humor. However, if you can overlook that, this presents an important and somber narrative about exceptional ability confined within prison walls, alongside themes of camaraderie irrespective of race. I connected with Strauss’s character, and I suspect many others will as well. The film has a runtime of 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was filmed at Folsom State Penitentiary in Represa, California, located roughly an hour northeast of Sacramento. Numerous background actors were actual prisoners at Folsom and performed admirably. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB