Lockdown

Many references to HBO's Oz have been made about this movie. The two are similar, but the gangs focused on here are limited to the Blacks and Aryans. The colorful actors are convincing in their roles. Master P comes across as a worthy heavy. Craig T. Jones provides the great contrast of clean cut protagonist. With a plethera of unwatchable exploitive black urban videos, Lockdown is a high quality cut above.

Right - another prison flick. Another movie about a young black man, in this case 3 young black men, wrongly accused of a crime, convicted and sent to prison. The statement behind that injustice is bold enough. It's a bit "Boyz n the Hood" up to that point. Once it hits the prison - there are few comparisons to match some of the intensity (how's that for ambiguity?).

This movie has a few valuable segments worth the rest of its deficits. A few scenes may take you to a place you do not want ever to be. There are moments in the prison scenes where the actors are so credible it might as well be real. The directing had flickers of greatness to capture that intensity.

But just like that, in a flicker you're back to watching a $2 film worth a penny. Just watch it for the acting and directing behind a few prison scenes that fairly represent "Lockdown".

If you like 'Oz' you'll enjoy this movie.Predominately a African American cast,this is one of those movies white america will not embrace,and because of that it will get undeserved negative criticism.If you've been behind bars,you will relate and love this movie more than the average person.But even if you haven't been in the pen,this flic is entertaining with some real scenes that depict life when your freedom is taken away. ****/5.

I've always felt "Escape from Alcatraz" starring Mister Eastwood was the best PM ever made but this one is just as good though a much different story. Some black dudes in their early 20s are convicted of a crime even though only one of them did anything wrong. Anyway, they get sent up for 10 years or so and the movie follows their experiences. Lots of fighting and action and, bless his soul, the director allows no talk unless it pertains to the action. Solid ending.

Lots of anti-white racism in the movie. The guards are all white and they are bastards and the white inmates are monsters. Graffiti, played by David Fralick, is really bad. Good-looking, super-fit guy and vicious as they come.

Needless to say, the movie portrays prison life as ultra-violent but that's just Hollywood for you. It makes for a good movie but prison is mostly about boredom not violence. Hell - you've got guards and cameras everywhere; you can't get away with much in prison and real convicts know it.

I am a big fan of prison movies but this movie really did not work for me. The plot was not very interesting with cookie cutter characters on top of that the acting was pretty poor. It rates four beers on my beer/movie rating system.