Well Deserved Praise

ridiculous rating

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I was introduced to this movie by my cousin, and after watching this movie it left me speechless. "Dog Pound" is a great movie it keeps you entertained and into the movie.During the movie you'll see some sad and upsetting parts as you grow interest in the movie. "Dog Pound" does a good job at giving the viewers connection with the characters and grow feeling for the three boys."Dog Pound" offers a lot of emotion, entertainment, and even courage from the viewers. This movie gets a ten from me, because of it's production, cast, and the ability to deliver. A movie that delivers will also turn out to be a great movie, because most movies don't deliver anymore... "Dog Pound" a MUST WATCH movie.

In various aspects, Dog Pound fulfills with its purpose: bringing us a raw and intense look to a "juvenile detention center", supposedly dedicated to the juvenile delinquent's rehabilitation, when it is in fact a sadistic and brutal environment which stimulates the cruelty, the intolerance and the violence as the solution to every problem. I have to say that Dog Pound kept me interested; however, its story is almost non-existent, and it's reduced to a series of vignettes which follows the experience of three young interns of a recent entry.The main problem from Dog Pound is that it doesn't provide too much to the "prison cinema". On the positive side, the performances are very good, and I also appreciated the fact that none of the performers are models/actors, something which helps to the realism of the story. The only problem with the cast is that the actors are too old for the characters they interpret. If director Kim Chapiron had selected 15 or 16-year-old actors, Dog Pound would have been more shocking and subversive. Unfortunateley, he let that chance go.In conclusion, Dog Pound entertained me; it brings an interesting message; the performances are solid; and Chapiron's direction is agile and efficient, with the emphasis on the clarity and free of stylish distractions. However, it didn't leave me completely satisfied, mainly because it doesn't bring anything new to the "prison cinema". I consider it worthy of a moderate recommendation by itself, but there are much better "prison films" out there, such as Bad Boys (1983), Celda 211 and Un Prophéte.

French director Kim Chapiron, working in America, decided to tackle a thorny issue that afflicts many a young person in the country: being sent to a juvenile detention center. The idea is that young people will reform in those institutions, when the reality is they probably come out worse off than when they went in, which is the message one gets after watching this violent account of youth deprived of freedom.The prison genre has been done better before, but to his credit, Kim Chapiron has gathered a good cast, especially with the happy selection of Adam Butcher in the leading role, to give life to this drama. The screenplay was written by Mr. Chapiron and Jeremie Delon. "Dog Pound" keeps reminding a lot of the contributors to this forum of Alan Clarke's much better "Scum", a film in which the great Ray Winstone was the absolute star.

Can't stop thinking about this movie. I'm a huge Adam Butcher fan - loved him in Saint Ralph and now, as a grown-up, he's definitely matured as an adult. It's disturbing and harsh but probably realistic. SPOILER ALERT A few things that did bug me about the film --Never followed up the murder of the one young inmate, the killer didn't seem to be taken to justice or questioned or an investigation launched (unless that's something I missed) --Riot scene was well staged but again, a tad unrealistic --Adam Butcher kicks down the door yet they're able to close it --I hate unfinished movies, a la Coen Brothers. But again, I can't stop thinking about it. Very powerful.