Fair movie to bide your time. Although some decent performances, I don't understand the praise heaped on Penn for his playing the lead role of Mick. Penn had one expression through most to the movie. Stone face. Twice I think he welled up a little. That's it. Everyone else in the film is more animated.
This is the usual jail house movie, but with kids, which makes it disturbing. One kid who is raped looks like he is 12. Clancy Brown, in an early role, plays a psychotic- as he would later--on the other side of the bars--in "The Shawshank Redemption". He wears a mullet and unfortunately looks 30.
There is lots of grossness--the initiation to newcomers is everyone spitting on them, and it looks pretty real. Snot in food, and other grunge. Oh it's filthy alright.
Some decent action and a fairly good story, but I have one major issue with it. We are supposed to feel bad for Mick, but I have a hard time doing so. He is shown at the beginning of the film stealing from people and ruthlessly beating them bloody. He never appears sorry for it. He shows some intelligence, but that's easy when most of the other characters can barely read. I never cared about him, one bit.
I didn't care that he liked his girlfriend either; she's an idiot for being with him, and the viewer will have a hard time believing that he won't eventually be abusive to her too when he gets out. A potentially good conversation between her and her father ends abruptly, perhaps the thought was that if the dad disparaged him further the audience might not be in his corner.
I never was.
This is the usual jail house movie, but with kids, which makes it disturbing. One kid who is raped looks like he is 12. Clancy Brown, in an early role, plays a psychotic- as he would later--on the other side of the bars--in "The Shawshank Redemption". He wears a mullet and unfortunately looks 30.
There is lots of grossness--the initiation to newcomers is everyone spitting on them, and it looks pretty real. Snot in food, and other grunge. Oh it's filthy alright.
Some decent action and a fairly good story, but I have one major issue with it. We are supposed to feel bad for Mick, but I have a hard time doing so. He is shown at the beginning of the film stealing from people and ruthlessly beating them bloody. He never appears sorry for it. He shows some intelligence, but that's easy when most of the other characters can barely read. I never cared about him, one bit.
I didn't care that he liked his girlfriend either; she's an idiot for being with him, and the viewer will have a hard time believing that he won't eventually be abusive to her too when he gets out. A potentially good conversation between her and her father ends abruptly, perhaps the thought was that if the dad disparaged him further the audience might not be in his corner.
I never was.