The Wildest Show in the South: The Angola Prison Rodeo

To really understand this documentary you need to understand the Rodeo Cowboy way of life. These prisoners do not care if they get hurt and that is the purest form of entertainment. Most of them have never been around horses or bulls and are really really scared, and some of the stuff that they say is just hilarious. I really liked it as well because it was not portraying the prisoners like they were being abused or they shouldn't be there. Just man against beast and the man coming out on top, but not without the beast getting some really good licks in. Get a bunch a buddies together and put it on get ready to roll on the floor.

After the first 15 minutes you have already seen it all. The documentary never gets really interesting mainly because of some seriously missed opportunities.

It is unclear to me what the documentary maker tried to achieve by showing this to the audience. The only thing that this documentary is is entertaining for about 15 minutes, after that we get more and more of the same without any explanation of how and why. Wouldn't it have been much more interesting to focus more on the prisoners background and perhaps families? Instead now we get to see some crazy rotten criminals fighting some bulls in the arena. Don't get me wrong, in a way it was entertaining and showed some of the crazy unique American civilization but it was only fun for about a few minutes. I would have liked to see some more variation and content.

Good for a few laughs but fails to be more than just entertaining. A documentary without a message.

5/10

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I thought it was a great film and the content variety was fine. It focuses primarily on the inmates experiences in the rodeo. For a lot of those prisoners, the rodeo seems to be the only thing they have to look forward to, and I think this film really shows their passion for it while not being a total redemption piece.

The film work is interesting and this film is packed with some great rodeo footage. Full of wild rampaging bulls, clowns, and even a poker table, this film would please even those who are not rodeo enthusiasts. An American prison turned massive tourist attraction. These guys go all out to win some cash and glory!

try and catch the Oscar nominated short version (not the longer, duller TV edition) of this wonderful film. It had the audience laughing and cheering when I watched it in an LA cinema shortly before the Oscar ceremonies this year. Fantastic camera work and editing, mostly by the director Simeon Soeffer. A little slice of bizarre-Americana for you where the people definitely come out worse off than the animals

Awesome! A celebration of all that is wrong in the world. Convicted Felons risk life and limb for a moment of glory in front of a bloodthirsty crowd down in the deep South. It's both funny and sad at the same time.

All the behind the scenes shots are in black and white and then the big event is in color making for a really cool look. And as a bonus all the music is performed by the prison band.

There's tons of spills and thrills and some of the craziest rodeo events I've ever seen. The story of the prisoners fight for redemption is really amazing as they talk about their heinous crimes and their love for the rodeo.

It's a real treat to watch through and through. I can't help but wonder how they ever get permission to do it?

It's a real life Roman Spectacle!