Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Eugene Jarecki | ... | Self - Narrator / Interviewer | |
David Simon | ... | Self - Creator, The Wire | |
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Shanequa Benitez | ... | Self |
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William Julius Wilson | ... | Self - Harvard University (as Prof. William Julius Wilson) |
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Glendon Goldsboro | ... | Self - Providence Police (as Lt. Glendon Goldsboro) |
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Fabio Zuena | ... | Self - Providence Narcotics |
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David Kennedy | ... | Self - John Jay College of Criminal Justice |
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Michael Correia | ... | Self - Commanding Officer, Narcotics (as Lt. Michael Correia) |
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Charles Bowden | ... | Self - Investigative Reporter |
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Gabor Maté | ... | Self - Physician, Addiction Expert (as Dr. Gabor Maté) |
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Mark W. Bennett | ... | Self - U.S. Federal Judge (as Hon. Mark Bennett) |
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Maurice Haltiwanger | ... | Self - ID# 03678-029 |
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Jim K. McGough | ... | Self - Maurice's Lawyer (as Jim McGough) |
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Eric Franklin | ... | Self - Lexington Corrections Center (as Warden Eric Franklin) |
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Mike Carpenter | ... | Self - Chief of Security, Lexington Corrections |
From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
Eugene Jarecki's frightening and important film is a thorough investigation of the prison industrial complex and the "war on drugs" i.e. the war on poor people. It's a fair and balanced look at how it subsidizes thousands of jobs and locks up millions of innocent people. Unfortunately he misses a key argument against this war: adults should have the right to sovereignty over their consciousness. Drugs are slightly demonized throughout- the fact that the drugs themselves are inherently good- its people with no self control that give them a bad name- is never explored. Regardless, this is a fascinating look into a sick society in a dead and deadening country. Recommended.