This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Ever seen "Set it off" and "Shawshank redemption"? Civil brand is like both those movies combined. The ending is a lot like "set it off". Da Brat (yes the rapper) is the narrator of this movie.You got 4 main women: Wet, Nikki, Francis and Little mama. All are in prison for some jacked up reasons. Mainly Francis since her actions are the only ones that can be justified.The women in prison are used to make items for the Warden so he could sell those items for a lot more. Pretty much scamming $$$. The main point is the prison is corrupt and the inmates are abused. There's a new guard (played by Mos Def) who's most likely their only ally.BTW, after watching Clifton Powell in this movie I wonder could Hollywood politics get any biased. He deserved major props for his role. Who didn't do a fantastic job in this movie?!

In one way, I hate to downgrade this film because it does have a message it is trying to get out, and there are so few films about African American women. I also understand the director is an African American woman. However, the truth is, this film is not very well done at all.What they wanted to convey was the conditions for women in prisons. What came across, however, was that only African American women are in prisons (the very few white women seen, had non-speaking roles and were just blurry extras in the background). They also wanted to indicate that the working conditions in prisons are terrible, again, they failed to truly show this--instead it came across as if the prisoners felt they shouldn't have to work at all, that they should just be allowed to loll about entertaining themselves all day.I never did get all the women characters straightened out as to who was who and who did what. We don't get enough time with each woman to get to know her that well.All the guards and the Warden are the mean, bad guys, except for the one new guard, Michael. The actor playing Michael was a very poor choice for the role. Michael is supposed to be a college student, studying to be a lawyer, the actor who played him, keeps his head down and mumbles his lines in a way that gives the impression he has no self-confidence at all.The plot, such as it is, concerns the women being ill-treated by the Captain of the guards who demands sexual favors of them while man-handling them brutally. Also the plot concerns them doing sewing in what is supposed to be sweat shop conditions for virtually no pay, while the man who re-sells the items is making a big profit.Can the women get the truth out there, is the plot question.Meanwhile we see some woman on woman fighting, some stabbing, and some time spent in solitary.All of the women have children and miss their children, and of course they have been imprisoned unfairly and that sort of thing.Unfortunately there are no love affairs or sex between the female prisoners, which would have added some realism and interest to the story.3 stars out of 10

This movie was the bomb. I like how all the characters came to life and how they all have their own story. I wanted to jump through the t.v. when captain Dee's raped and killed Lil mama. I couldn't believe he would do something like that. That cold hearted punk. That movie seemed so real like it was based on a true story. I hop it was all fictional because if something like that happened in real life then he deserved to die. Over all the movie was off the chain and they get many props from me. Great job. I like how they all got together and made a plan to take Dee's down. He was so corrupt. I hope that stuff really don't be happening in the prisons. Working for a dollar and fifty cent. That has got to be illegal. Anyways the movie was the bomb it was off the chain and i recommend that everybody goes to see it, rent it, or buy whatever you gotta do to watch it because it is worth it.

CIVIL BRAND is a story which tells of a women's prison in which the inmates are forced to work as slaves, and are exploited as little more than animals. True, we've all seen this in SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, where convicts are put to physical labor, but it's always been presented as an acceptable situation. A man robs a store and kills the clerk, so why not have him pound out license plates and working on road construction crews?CIVIL BRAND offers a fresh look at the Prison-Industrial Complex, attacking the issue from several different angles. For one thing, the inmates aren't working on roads or some kind of community service- they're making clothes for department stores. A more provocative approach, though, is the fact that these slaves are female, a scenario that folks are not used to considering. Outstanding performances by LisaRaye, Mos Def, Clifton Powell, MC Lyte, Monica Calhoun, Lark Voorhies, and the sensational N'Bushe Wright (the lady Panther from DEAD PRESIDENTS who is one of the most talented people acting in Cinema today, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous), powerful cinematography, and brutal honesty come together to make CIVIL BRAND not just a great movie, but an extremely important one.(c) Jake McGee - Get Underground