Ausbruch der Verdammten

RIOT is a 1969 shoestring B production that looks like a made for TV time-passer with Jim Brown at the top of his game, and Gene Hackman, fresh from his small but eye-catching part in BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) on his way up, with stardom assured two years later as copper Popeye Doyle in FRENCH CONNECTION. The two men had already appeared together in THE SPLIT (1968)

Substandard photography does not hurt the film, rather adding to its credibility as a tale about a breakout from a dingy jail with inhuman guards. Good singing from Bill Medley - great voice - as part of somewhat uneven score. Generally effective dialogue ahead of its time by including gay prisoners, shocking ending.

Competent direction from William Castle, who made his name in horror movies but does a competent job with RIOT. 7/10.

okay, here are what i don't think this movie and its screenplay are good enough: 1) never thought the black prisoners and the white ones could be so united in any prison history 2) the leader of the white prisoner, and the leader of the black ones seemed to respect each other quite well, they also cooperated with each other like brothers. the movie was released in 1969, and probably shot in the year before. do you think in that era and time frame, the blacks could have mixed with the whites so smoothly? they were used to be oil and water, they never could be mixed together, no matter what. 3) the black guy got a thick and high quality cow hide belt, and when he wanted to punch somebody, he just unbelted it from his waist and wrapped around his right fist. are you sure, dude? prisoners could have regular belts around his waists and never considered a dangerous weapon to other inmates and the prisons authorities? if shanks made in plastic or metal are considered deadly weapons, what about the belts? they could also be used as deadly weapons, don't you think? there are so many details that didn't feel all right but you can also let them go if you really need to watch a not quite exciting prison riot film but either a black prisoner's day dream or fantasy.

"Riot" is a very tense film that was apparently based on a book about an actual prison situation that occurred in Minnesota. Oddly, however, "Riot" was filmed in Arizona--about the most un-Minnesota like place you can find! It's also unusual in that the famed horror director, William Castle, produced it.

The film stars Jim Brown and Gene Hackman, but they are not the entire show. In fact, while they clearly are the leads, the real stars are the many prisoners--many of which really were prisoners of the Yuma Correctional facility. It gets very high marks for realism that is missing from most other prison films and must have been seen as a VERY gritty film when it debuted. Flamboyantly gay prisoners, home brewed alcohol, impromptu courts to dispense 'justice' to snitches and a lot of blood are things you really don't see in other more sanitized prison films. Because of that, I highly recommend the film--it's tough, tense and exciting throughout.

Every prison throughout the world, whether state or Federal is an enclosed pressure cooker capped by an ever tightening lid of anger, hate and frustration. Within the walls are a collection of unruly, unpredictable, undisciplined gathering of misfits, murderers and anti-social types. For the most part they are watched and guarded so they do not escape their confinement which is the location for the film called " Riot. " Jim Brown stars as Cully Briston with Gene Hackman as Red Fraker. Although, Cully is to be released in a couple of months, 'Red' and his fellow inmates stage a small takeover in the infirmary which spills over to the detention ward. Having little to do with the initial incident, Cully nevertheless becomes part of the escalating situation when he helps his friends. Gerald O'Loughlin, plays one of the more contentious prison guards who has been throwing his weight around for years in the prison, suddenly feigns sickly and fragile in the face of death. Meanwhile, the Warden who has been vacationing, returns and orders the prisoners to cease and desist. As he prepares to send in his Riot-Squads, the prisoners plan on escaping with an Indian guide called Surefoot. (Ben Carruthers) The seconds tick away and the situation becomes hopelessly unmanageable. The Warden, the Guards and the prisoners all await the next turn of events. Strong character drama from Brown, Hackman and Mike Kellin give this feature a realistic aura and one sure to make high drama for the audience. Good Film and one of the best performances for Jim Brown. ****

Buzz Kulik's pulpy, lurid Riot, an R-rated glob of clichéd prison- flick trash shows us two things:

1. Since this would be PG-13 now, with almost dirty language, sort- of naked prisoners being beaten, sparing gouts of blood, and way, way too much of a gay prisoner doing a bump and grind in his cell, one can marvel at how our tolerance of crudity has risen over the last five decades. Kulik must have been in constant combat with the standards and practices folks at Paramount, either to put more movies-sure-are-different adult stuff in this story of a riot masking an escape in an Arizona prison, or to clean this thing up, now!

2. Kulik's ability to take such a nasty, ugly, and pretty-much stupid prison-break story and infuse it with a professionalism the movie doesn't deserve is a testament to his talent. Jim Brown and Gene Hackman, along with a number of recognizable character actors and a whole bunch of real-life inmates are either catatonic or chew up scenery at an alarming rate. The stuff that comes out of their mouths could only be called dialogue in the most general sense of the word. In other words, Riot is a blob of sweat-covered clichés that, for some reason, is watchable enough to keep watching. Go figure!

I saw Riot the first time in, I think, 1973 when ABC showed it during the summer down-time. I could tell the movie had about a third lopped out for all the crudities and nudities and other prisonese. I could only imagine what the little old ladies with the pinking shears and the blue hair at ABC were snipping out, but I thought it was a pretty fearsome movie anyway.

Now, I just marvel at how far Riot pushes the edge of the envelope.

It's still a crappy movie, but it's also a snapshot of what a movie studio was willing to allow for public consumption, way back when you couldn't say "damn" on TV.