Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is by far the best prison movie out of all the prison movies. Their are no stars in the film, its a real film made to show how messed up a group of humans can be towards each other when society traps them in a cage. Its sharp and to the point, their is no drama heartthrob cinematic scenes, its a movie about how prison can actually be and was in certain areas of the world. It has that artistic viewpoint of reality unlike 99% of the other prison movies that are just simply made for the screen. This is made to touch your soul and tingle your senses and leave you with a real human feeling.

Re-watching this again, goes onto consolidate how confronting, humiliating, intense and haunting John Hillcoat's nightmarish prison drama is. The unsparing atmosphere is so clinically cold and you really do feel imprisoned in this confined maximum security prison, as we watch the numbing existence of these prisoners through daily routines (where rules are virtually non-existent) and eventually the mental breakdown that occurs when what they hold close to keeping them sane is taken away by the prison administration. Then you have the prison guards (who are no better themselves) fearing for their own lives, because they sense its only time when the frustration boils over and its taken out on them.The controversially cerebral material (penned by Gene Conkie, Evan English, John Hillcoat and Nick Cave) is well-developed and profound, holding an unforgettable and gripping edge. It's a frightening, primal and brutal portrait, without over doing it or reverting to bad taste. It's a wicked look at the use of violence, despite those being inside are there for committing it. Even the ending leaves it opened to the true state of the criminal. Healed or not... do we really care? The central industrial prison is located in the middle of nowhere and has been locked down due to the spate of uncontrollable acts of aggressive violence. Soon it flashes back to open up the events that have caused this violent outbreak, and show the truth behind the system's polices and unusual acts to provoke it's prisoners and guards.The guerrilla style camera-work can become alienating, and Nick Cave's simmering score is sparsely used to put you off balance. Hillcoat's consistently slick direction is visually piercing and tightly constructed, invoking many dark and violent passages. The performances are mainly adapt with a solid central turn by David Field, but it's a blindingly compulsive performance by Nick Cave (who explosively hit's the screen almost a good hour in) as a downright maniac brought in to cause a ruckus.A powerfully nail-biting, ambitious and uncompromising slice of prison life.

Roger Wenzil is transferred to one of the new humane maximum-security prisons as an inmate.The new prisons have been built open plan and the guards have a relaxed attitude toward hard-drug use.However the prison bureaucracy begin a crackdown,stirring up minor incidents– confiscating all drugs and weapons,turning the TV's off–but this creates a state of high tension that sets the inmates and guards against one another.Everything finally explodes in one violently bloody outburst.This bleak and somber prison drama offers truly unsettling look into the penal system.There are some unflinching scenes of violence and heroin use,so be prepared.The performance of Nick Cave is absolutely insane.The singer plays a psycho,who screams obscenities and paints on the wall in his own blood.The climax where one inmate starts repeatedly stabbing at a guard's body is hard to stomach too.9 out of 10.

This film was screened on Australian TV when I was about 15. It's extremelly violent and psychological, a study in deprivation and pain. I mainly remember Nick Cave's performance (he co-wrote it). He plays a lunatic that get's moved to an already tense prison. His ranting and self-mutilation escalate the other prisoners sense of panic and chaos. Incredible acting and a very realistically frightening film. It's not fun, exciting or most things people look for as a distraction in modern day cinema, but if you're looking for something challenging and thought provoking it's well worth trying to find.