The Prison

It's hard to always understand what prison is like, and Attica depicted an old one, but it was still prison, and it was gripping. This was a good movie. The character played by Kyle Maclachlan was a wimpy one, but yet, a way for us to see things through an innocent standpoint. This was a movie about a prison that was not contained to the proper ordinance and showed what could happen if it wasn't. In that result, it played out to be a movie that can keep you at *awe* and utter despair for the prison gaurds. The role played by Samuel L. Jacson was a good one as well. He is always been such a good actor and to me, he shined in this one, to a point. Those were the good things about it, and my only gripes were seeing naked inmates, Mike Smiths' feistiness, and the totally annoying head gaurd. I forget his name, and I don't much want to know anyways. Aside of those little pests, I enjoyed the film to it's fullest. Frankenheimer did a good job directing this one. This was my rating: 8/10

Against the Wall walked so that Trial of the Chicago 7 could run. But the latter had a big Netflix release. This was made for TV and subsequently flew under the radar, and as a result is one of the most criminally underrated things I have ever seen.

This movie is really something else. Something else for sure. I went into this not knowing anything about the Attica riot, but still being more or less aware of the situation at the time after watching Trial of the Chicago 7. And I was expecting something akin to the Shawshank Redemption - a slow-burn drama with a nice ending. But Against the Wall was neither of those things.

This movie had my heart pounding so fast that I could hear blood in my ears the entire way through. The sheer brutality of it, not one dash of blood sanitised, really opened my eyes to how horrific the riot - no, the massacre - was. This movie feels ahead of its time, almost - ever since its 1994 release the incarceration problem in the US has only gotten more and more dire, and just as it was when it first came out, Against the Wall is a startling and sudden wake-me-up to all of the problems that are just as relevant today as they were in 1971.

Everything about this movie was mind-blowing excellence. The chaos of the riot was conveyed perfectly, and it all felt real, raw and terrifyingly true. And the acting - Kyle MacLachlan and Samuel L. Jackson were both absolutely mind-blowing. Hands-down two of the most powerful performances I've ever seen on screen. And the supporting cast was also great - they extended the story past the riot itself and had me caring so much more about what was happening.

A powerful movie that shows the messy side of America, but it will not leave your mind for days to come.

-Sasha.

Legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer made an impact as perhaps televisions greatest director in the 1990's (after directing several big-screen classics earlier in his career). With "Against the Wall" he shatters all our illusions about America. The United States really is the land of opportunities, but the government has also branded it's reputation with some ugly events through the years. The Attica riot of 1971 (or should I say "the Attica massacre") certainly is one of it's ugliest moments.

This shocking dramatization shows us everything that's wrong with America in a way that almost sent me reaching for a vomit-bag in disbelief. A great job by Frankenheimer and it's actors, particularly worth mentioning: Kyle MacLachlan, Samuel L. Jackson, Frederic Forrest, Clarence Williams III, Harry Dean Stanton, a young Steve Harris (The Practice) and Danny Trejo.

This really made me yearn for some American on-screen heroism. At times like these I'm sure glad I have the Die Hard-trilogy in my DVD-collection :)

HBO was really kicking some ass during this time. It's a shame this one isn't more known; Kyle MacLachlan and Samuel L. Jackson really acted their hearts out in this sad, mind-blowing true story about Attica Prison. Highly underrated and by all means should've been a hit.

I was an extra in this movie and I was just amazed by John Frankenheimer. We just filled seats in the bar as guards' wives, but he came over and explained who we were and told us about the lives of these people. He told us that the average guard's salary was $13,000. He told me he loved my face (which believe me is not lovable), probably because the part called for us to be bored and disgusted and I was very good at that. I just could not believe that the director went into such detail with us. I was just there one day but my husband was in several scenes, working every day, and he was likewise impressed with Mr. Frankenheimer.

And as for the comment about the people of Nashville deserving better--Nashville and its people suck. I was never so glad to get out of anywhere. If, as one comment put it, Mr. Frankenheimer was a bear, maybe it was because he expected people to WORK.