I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang [Je suis un Evadé] 1932

Returning from World War I, Sergeant James Allen decides to go into construction work to build something positive after the destruction of the war. There are not enough jobs, however, and soon he unsuccessfully tries to pawn his war medals. By accident, Jim gets involved in a robbery in which the actual thief is killed, and he gets sentenced to ten years on a southern chain gang. The brutal conditions drive him to escape. He slips off his shackles with the help of another prisoner and takes off, dogs baying at his heels. He manages to reach Chicago and, under the name Allen James, works his way up in the construction business...