Let's be realistic.

Crappy film

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Isn't it sad when the more interesting films out there are not being released into the theaters, but debut on pay cable channels? While "Against the Wall" is not perfect, I am willing to guarantee it is better than ninety percent of the number one box office movies that have opened in the last year. Kyle MacLachlan, proving he does not need David Lynch to turn in a good performance, plays Michael Smith, a new guard at New York's Attica Correctional Facility. His father, Hal (Harry Dean Stanton), recently retired as a guard there after twenty five years and now runs a bar, but Michael's uncle Ed (Tom Bower) is still a guard. Michael has skipped from job to job and looks to make this his career, ready to support his pregnant wife Sharon (Anne Heche).Things are not good from the beginning. While Michael is no bleeding heart, he can still spot prisoner neglect. The inmates are treated like animals, and Michael's entire orientation and training consist of taking barked orders from guard supervisor Welsbad (Frederic Forrest). Things begin to come to a head, with everything going to hell because of a can of soup.Prisoner Chaka (a scary Clarence Williams III) is cooking soup in his cell with an illegal device, is caught, and throws the food in guard's face. The prison store will sell soup, but no way to heat and eat it. The prisoners revolt and take a cell block, and the ill prepared guards are in their path. One guard is beaten until near death, and the rest of the guards are taken hostage in the yard, where all the inmates have gathered.One of the cooler heads among the inmates is Jamaal X (Samuel L. Jackson, currently my favorite actor working). Jamaal wants to keep the guards alive and use them as bargaining chips to negotiate with. Jamaal has also been the victim of guard cruelty, and his back and forth between intelligent dialogue and a burning anger in his face is the stuff of great acting. Commissioner Oswald (Philip Bosco) is brought in to negotiate with the inmates after convincing New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller not to storm the complex and lose more lives.Hostage Smith begins to refuse needs like shoes and bathroom trips, not wanting to bend to the inmates. The guards begin arguing among themselves, reflecting the the differences between Jamaal and Chaka. Talks break down when amnesty for the prisoners is refused (the injured guard dies). The governor sends in the state police and state troops to take back the facility. It is a fact of history (this happened in the early '70's) that almost forty men were killed in the battle, including ten hostages, all of gunshot wounds fired by the would-be rescuers.John Frankenheimer was a great film maker. He had his share of duds, but at least he made some good, strong films. This ranks up there with many of his successes. My complaints about the film? I wish we could have found out more about Jamaal. While the film is obviously told from Michael's point of view, I wanted more of a balance between these two men. Catch phrases like "power to the people," "getting back to Africa," and "Black Panthers" are tossed around but never come into any sort of context because of this lack of insight into Jamaal.The entire cast is excellent. Anne Heche is given a great role to play, never making Sharon wishy washy nor too strong. Her only concern is her husband William, and Heche is believable. While some of the roles are obvious villains, Frankenheimer keeps everyone reined in and does not let one actor overshadow another. Jackson and MacLachlan's final scenes are strong, but they do step into melodrama with a hand hold. "Against the Wall" is a brutally violent film. The Attica riot changed some things about prison life in the United States today, but there is always room for improvement, as the closing credits let us know. This is not perfect, but it is eye opening.

"Against the Wall" is an amazing portrayal of the uprising that took place at the Attica prison in the 1970's New York. It is an important film that shows, that while the uprising caused the loss of life among prisoners, staff, and civilian personnel, it was what reformed the American prison system for the rest of time. It is an important legacy and stepping stone in both American history and in the civil rights movement that needs to be told. The director did a fantastic portrayal of the true life situation to the screen in the HBO made for TV movie, which has since moved to DVD. Prison life was changed because of this one event and because of what these men stood for.

Frankenheimer was a bear to work with, he treated the crew terrible and all the extras worse. I guess he was struggling to save his career. I worked in the property department, and I still think about digging the old man up and setting his body on fire. The prison was a good location except all water had to be shipped in. (bad plumbing) Kyle McLaughlan, Samuel L. Jackson, Fredrick Forrest were top notch to be around...they and of course Harry Dean Stanton are true professionals.The movie in the end was missing the "ummp" that makes it a big release. But hey, a job's, a job. Nashville deserves bigger pictures to be made there, they have great production people.

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 :)