Knock on Any Door

Morton takes on the case despite his law partners' wishes, driven by a connection to the slums and a sense of guilt over a past botched trial involving Nick's father. He commits to guiding Nick through the trial and perhaps shaping him rather than seeking a straightforward win. Nick Romano stands accused of shooting a policeman at point-blank range and faces execution if convicted.

The film intercuts flashbacks showing Nick as a hoodlum who cycles through petty crimes. The sequence paints a portrait of the slums that shaped his early life and tendencies. These recollections contextualize why Morton is drawn to defend him.

Morton's wife Adele convinces him to play nursemaid to Nick, hoping personal guidance can steer him toward a better path. This personal stake becomes a facet of Morton's defense strategy and moral motivation. The dynamic links Nick's fate to Morton's willingness to intervene.

Shortly after a fishing trip, Nick robs Morton of one hundred dollars, marking a relapse into his old impulses. The theft underscores that the reform attempt is not yet complete and strains the mentor-mentee relationship. This act foreshadows the volatility that surrounds Nick's life.

Nick marries Emma, and for a while he tries to turn his life around. He takes on job after job, but his recalcitrance leads to frequent firings. He squanders his paycheck on dice, and even after he wins Emma's support, he punches his boss and quits another job.

Feeling there is little chance for a normal life, Nick returns to his old rule of living fast and dying young. He abandons Emma, who is pregnant, demonstrating a collapse of his better intentions. The marriage unravels as his fatalistic motto takes over.

After a botched hold-up at a train station, Nick seeks to take Emma with him as he escapes. He learns that Emma has died by suicide using gas from an open oven, a devastating twist that deepens his guilt. This tragedy marks a turning point in his fate.

Morton argues in court that slums breed criminals and that society bears responsibility for the crimes of those living in misery. He frames Nick as a victim of systemic conditions rather than a purely instinctual killer. The strategy seeks to elicit sympathy rather than affect the verdict directly.

The seasoned District Attorney Kerman relentlessly questions Nick, delivering a barrage of inquiries that test his truthfulness. The pressure culminates in Nick blurting out a confession, exposing the limits of Morton's defense strategy. Morton's confidence in Nick's innocence begins to crumble under the cross-examination.

Shocked by Nick's confession, Morton realizes his client may be guilty and his earlier beliefs are wrong. Nick then decides to change his plea to guilty, altering the course of the defense. During the sentencing hearing, Morton appeals for mercy by highlighting those trapped in dead-end lives.

Nick is sentenced to die in the electric chair, a grim verdict that closes the defense's hopeful thread. The sentencing underscores the harsh consequences of a life of crime and the system's finality. Morton leaves the courtroom with a heavy sense of what the trial has revealed about Nick and himself.

Morton visits Nick in prison before the execution and witnesses him walking down the hall toward the death chamber. The visit marks a somber culmination of their uneasy journey and Morton's professional and personal investment. The scene resolves the arc with a stark, fatal consequence.