Das Camp - Nur die Stärksten kommen durch

I thought that this would be another preachy movie about black kids in jail and all their problems. I was wrong. This is about black kids will all sorts of problems in and out of jail but it is done very tightly and kept up my interest throughout. Omar Epps is getting a lot of well deserved credit for his acting but my thumbs up goes to the director Charles S. Dutton who I would like to see do other films. The music with the end credits was beautiful and sounded like the high class music that you hear with much bigger budget movies. I recommend that everyone see this movie once. You will not regret it.

Greg Yance finds himself busted for drugs and is sentenced to five years without parole . At his trial he is given a choice between serving his sentence in a tough penitentiary or to be sent to a tough boot camp

As soon as the opening sequence rolled I came on to this page only to find it's a TVM . Oh dear not doubt a PG cert , a sort of disease of the week movie for homeboys . Quickly it became clear this was a HBO production with graphic language . The fact is I'm a big fan of HBO drama OZ and the first fifteen minutes played out like that classic show as Greg Yance finds himself quite literally having to fight for his life in an uncaring and brutal prison system

Yance is given a choice of staying in the state pen or shipping out to a tough boot camp . You do think that in that case we'll be watching a sort of civilian version of FULL METAL JACKET . Rules are rules and somewhat strangely the rules of the camp involve no swearing . This means the film is conspicuous by missing a Sgt Hartman type character full of highly quotable foul mouthed language

FIRST TIME FELON is certainly more enjoyable and impressive than a lot of TVMs I've seen and his competently directed by Charles S Dutton and competently acted by a mainly black cast . The problem is that the early sequences are so impressive the rest of the film doesn't sustain the hard hitting drama the story is capable of and becomes a bit too preachy the more it continues

Omar Epps portrayed Greg Yance good. A good story line but it can be better filmed. We can make selections in our life and courage needed to overcome prejudices on the way to accomplish our choices is the main idea I think. It is interesting to see the racial prejudices still have place in US but it is some kind of subliminal discrimination. You cant see openly but feel it. The movie gives this good. Also the correction methods of the government which uses military style reeducation on the movie is interesting. it reminds me the methods soviets use to politically educate the misfits to the society. The movie also portrays the dilemma of the convicts. If you made one mistake in your life a second chance is very low option for you.

I almost stopped watching when the inmates graduated but I hung in there and realized this movie was going beyond the cliches and attempting to show what few choices a gang banger with a record has. Very realistic.

A movie provides entertainment,FTF told a real story realistically. I missed the beginning credits so didn't know what it was about till I saw Epps and knew it couldn't be something ordinary.

First Time Felon doesn't rush along because its' story isn't one to be rushed, critics call it slow, I call it insightful.

The hood trying to give up his "hood" has a tough time because he's become a fencesitter in the eyes of all. He's not accepted by society for being honest about his conviction neither is he one of the boys because he's seen the end of that road and this is depicted harshly when Pookie is blown away right next to him, that could have been him and for a minute his own existence was in the balance.

Greg Yance's story is deeply moving in an "it could happen to you" kind of way and you get pulled in like one of the comments said, it holds you right through and I found myself rooting for Yance when he hit the streets again and again, his Mum's support was instrumental in keeping him going,I didn't find it mushy in the least.

Omar Epps is a multi talented actor who delivers every time. This is one of his finest performances till date.

A 7/10