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Don't be fooled by the cheesy artwork, this is actually a good movie. I went in with zero expectations, as I usually do with straight-to-DVD films, and came out pleasantly surprised. This is probably one of the best performances I've seen from Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer finally proves to me that he still has his acting chops (lost faith after some of his recent DVD work). The movie's premise isn't entirely original, but it's no-less interesting.
We basically follow Dorff as a good hard-working man, who is forced to plead guilty after unintentionally murdering a man who broke into his home. He's sent to prison where he has no choice but to adapt to his surroundings, which includes fighting for the guards. Harold Perrineau (Lost) plays a high-ranking guard, who abuses the inmates and lets them fight each other for his own amusement. Val Kilmer plays the wise lifer/cell mate to Dorff.
The storyline is backed up by some solid performances, making this DVD effort stand out above the rest. Dorff truly looks frightened out of his mind when he first enters the prison, and the director (Ric Roman Waugh) delivered a very realistic and gritty approach towards all that goes on there. Even the fights themselves seem almost too realistic at times, and it turns out a lot of it wasn't choreographed and many of these guys were ex-convicts.
I've seen a lot of prison movies over the years, but I have to say that this is probably one of the more realistic and entertaining watches. This just goes to show that you shouldn't always judge a film by it's artwork and a straight-to-DVD release. Definitely recommended.
7/10