Prison Song

Prison Song was a film that I unintentionally passed up since it was on BET all of the time, instead I waited until the DVD came out to watch. When I did I realized that this is a very powerful film about a young man who gets caught in the system the same way his parents did - only it's a bum conviction that sends the kid to jail for life. For me, it's a very bothersome subject as I do have many friends who've been in and out of jail and as I'm aware of the fact that black people make up majority of the jail's population...

The movie even gets surprisingly graphic sometimes and really depressing as it's hard to not feel for the main character who was robbed of his dreams and his life by an unfair "justice" system. I relate to the main character as it's hard to emotionally detach yourself from a situation as messed up as the one he's in...

9/10 - solid and rewarding movie

Musical segments don't always work that well. I think it's Amazing that SNOW of Informer is in this as a guard. He is very talented has like 5 Albums. He should've had a musical scene. Even if he did play a guard, it could've been a dream scene where qtip dream the guard sang his reggage rap.

I had it in DVD then sold it.

I was told about this movie by a friend. He said it was one of the best movies he had seen. Unfortunately he told me the ending, but I won't spoil that for you...

"Prison Song" is a film about a boy brought up in group homes with a gift of art. He does beautiful drawings and is an excellent photographer. He is accepted to college and at first his gets a full scholarship but then something changes and it is taken away. This is one of the many times our principle character is let down. He gives up on his dream and gets angry. He ends up picking a fight with one of the boys from the group home and kills him. He ends up in jail 15 years to life.

The movie to me is a Musical Relief. Actors do break out into song or rap throughout the movie but fortunately this break from spoken word to words of rhythm and melody has a smooth transition. Transitions are so smooth that it seems almost real, like it was something anyone would do when reflecting.

Rapper, Q-tip, place the principle character and plays it well. Though he is quiet most of the time, the viewer will feel almost every emotion he does, even when his face is plain as a blank piece of paper. Through the film you grow to love the character and feel bad that things worked out the way they did. He is like many Black men, like many men period, talented but locked in jail.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see a prison movie with a lot of heart in it. Characters are deep and the story line is rich.

The name Darnell Martin attracted me to this movie . Martin was a director of season one of the prison drama OZ which is my all time favourite drama show to have come out of America . Martin was in my humble opinion the best director of the show and made the stand out episodes of the series including the debut episode that gripped me tighter than a vice . The synopsis of PRISON SONG led me to believe I'd be watching more of the same . Did I ? Well yes and no

The story is the well worn one of a ghetto kid called Elijah who struggling against the crushing adversity of his environment finds he has a special talent for photography and as he grows up he gets a place at college . What could possibly go wrong ? Destiny apparently because Elijah finds himself facing some hard time

If Martin had concentrated on this we'd get a tough prison movie which while seeing it all before would have been a tough gritty film . You have to take in to account as to who the cast are Q-Tip and Mary J Blige which means we get a pumping soundtrack which will prejudice your opinion . If you enjoy hearing a thump thump thump rap track involving I think the word is " mother figures " then this will enhance your feelings for the movie . If like me you don't then you'll be constantly irritated by the soundtrack

This is a pity because PRISON SONG does just about works as a tough prison drama but only intermittently . The film starts by giving out some sociological figures by pointing out crime stats involving African American men but then quickly gives up the pretence of any social comment and concentrates on the music . At the end of the day PRISON SONG suffers from too much song and not enough prison

As many of the other reviewers have stated, this movie presents to us a character with dreams of creating a "good life" for himself, who ends up falling into the prison system. Q-Tip and Darnell Martin do a great job in developing a script that embodies a trueness to the characters, which I am sure that the cast helped expand on. The silent moments of the film present the best moments (especially the last minutes where his works are displayed).

The movie takes ideas from many other prison films, however I have never seen a film present anything about asbestos and prisoners having to work in these conditions. After watching the DVD, I only wish that commentary were added and interviews at least with the director and writers. Worth a watch (or two). 8/10