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Why did Howard Hawks hire convicts to critique the story of The Criminal Code?
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Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks (right) directing (from left to right) John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo (1959).
Director Howard Hawks hired 10 convicts to critique the story of his 1931 film The Criminal Code specifically in pursuit of authenticity. By seeking feedback from individuals with firsthand experience in the prison system, Hawks aimed to ensure the narrative's realism.1