Hardly too sweet, but certainly not half dead, this blaxploitation struck me for being a lot different in that there are several characters who really provide a moral among the nudity, barely faked sex scenes, bloody fighting and genuinely ugly morally dead wild animals in human form. Leon Isaac Kennedy ends up in prison on a fake charge, deals with some truly vile inhumanities and comes out a champ, with two different men who surprised me with showing humanity in the unlikeliest of places.
There's Eugene (Thommy Pollard) who goes from being forced sexually by his bully roommate to someone courageous and willing to risk death than face constant humiliation and Hazzika Jackson (Floyd Chatman), the wise old inmate intent on remaining pure, giving a memorable speech equivalent with Burgess Meredith as Mickey in the "Rocky" movies. The evil "Half Dead" (Badja Djola) is a human monster, attempting to rape Kennedy and regretting it, yet seeking revenge.
Certainly, there are many scenes that are only there for shock value, including a few graphic sex scenes in the bathroom during the boxing matches between a male prisoner and a woman prisoner. But this is an exploitation movie after all so that as well as the violence are to be expected. Chuck Mitchell as the prison lieutenant is a far cry from his role as Porky, ironically having played a prison guard the same year on "General Hospital". The acting isn't the greatest but for the most part sincere, and I did enjoy this overall. The real moral of the story, though, is for people who watch this, who might consider committing a crime that this is what they could expect if they're caught.
There's Eugene (Thommy Pollard) who goes from being forced sexually by his bully roommate to someone courageous and willing to risk death than face constant humiliation and Hazzika Jackson (Floyd Chatman), the wise old inmate intent on remaining pure, giving a memorable speech equivalent with Burgess Meredith as Mickey in the "Rocky" movies. The evil "Half Dead" (Badja Djola) is a human monster, attempting to rape Kennedy and regretting it, yet seeking revenge.
Certainly, there are many scenes that are only there for shock value, including a few graphic sex scenes in the bathroom during the boxing matches between a male prisoner and a woman prisoner. But this is an exploitation movie after all so that as well as the violence are to be expected. Chuck Mitchell as the prison lieutenant is a far cry from his role as Porky, ironically having played a prison guard the same year on "General Hospital". The acting isn't the greatest but for the most part sincere, and I did enjoy this overall. The real moral of the story, though, is for people who watch this, who might consider committing a crime that this is what they could expect if they're caught.