Penitentiary

You will never see a more realistic portrayal of life in prison, than in this absolutely brilliant film from 1979. Raw, gritty, seedy, violent and desperate; this is the world that Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) is thrown into when he is caught in "the wrong place at the wrong time." In an environment of violent, and sometimes insane men, and no women, the new inmates must prove themselves quickly, or become someone's "boy." Prison politics are explored realistically in this unbelievably entertaining prison tour-de-force, as we get to know some unforgettable characters; 'Half Dead,' the insane alpha monkey, missing half his teeth and half his mind, with a desire to dominate everyone around him. He is the cellmate of Martel "Too Sweet," who must fend off this human tornado in a jaw dropping, claustrophobic fight to the death in a small prison cell. In order for Too Sweet to survive, he joins the prison boxing club, and meets up with 'Seldom Seen,' a white haired old-timer who, after spending 50 plus years inside, has completely given up on the outside world. 'Seldom' becomes his trainer. Too Sweet also befriends Eugene 'Genie' Lawson, a younger "newbie" whose integrity is also threatened, and who must also prove his strength and worth. This boxing club and this prison is filled with some of the most unforgettable people you will ever see. The character development in "Penitentiary" is so strong, that you will feel like you know these guys personally, to the point where you care about their fates. Director Jamaa Fanaka achieves a perfect balance of jaw dropping action/fight sequences, hilarious comedy, drama that is sincere and realistic, and then adds an element of surreal atmosphere that is hard to describe. There is another great prison film that is considered a genre classic; Jonathon Demme's WIP outing "Caged Heat." Well, "Penitentiary" is the "bastard half-brother" of that movie. It is also one of the finest independent films ever made; this is true, renegade film-making. I cannot recommend it enough, to fans of prison films, cult films, art-house or movies in general.

Following on Fanaka's promising first film "Emma May", with its strong feminist and community themes, this second, more commercially successful feature is a distinct disappointment belonging, as it does, in the entryway to the Museum Of Standard Prison Pics (somewhere between "The Green Mile" and "Papillon") and whose biggest lesson appears to be that what is to be most feared by African Americans about incarceration is bad acting. Solid C.

I saw this film with a pal over twenty years ago at the theater, first-run. I sat there amazed at how wincingly terrible it was from start to finish. After about forty-five minutes my friend (who was a drama student at the time) wanted desperately to leave the theater. I refused, explaining that in the years to come we would both look back at this film as a standard for cinema awfulness. I was right.

Penitentiary (1979)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) comes to the rescue of a hooker who is being insulted by a couple white trash bikers. A fight breaks out and before long we see Martel in a prison where he quickly draws the wrong type of attention. The prison Lieutenant (Chuck Mitchell) tells him about a boxing contest, which could help him get out.

PENITENTIARY comes from director Jamaa Fanaka and it's certainly one of the strangest but most entertaining prison movies from the decade. I guess you could say that if ROCKY was on crack cocaine and set inside a prison then you'd have something like this movie. There's no question that there are some truly awful performances and some incredibly campy moments scattered throughout the film but at the same time this here just adds to its rather goofy charm.

What makes the film so memorable are the actual boxing scenes. There are some pretty wild fights here including an incredible one where Martel must fight his cell mate. This sequence has to be one of the longest and wildest fights that you're ever going to see and it certainly keeps you entertained. A lot of times I don't really like these types of exploitation movies lasting that long but I must admit that the 99-minute running time went by rather quickly.

Leon Isaac Kennedy has become a cult figure over the years and while he wasn't the great actor, he at least has a certainly style and persona that leaps off the screen. He certainly keeps you drawn into the movie and adds a lot of fun. Fans of PORKY'S will also enjoy seeing Mitchell here in a good role.

If you're looking for class or high art then PENITENTIARY certainly won't be for you but those who like fun trash then dig in.

Xenon deserves a big nod for releasing these long lost 70s blaxploitation movies on home video. PENITENTIARY does have some enjoyable moments, including the wild boxing matches. This one obviously takes the sleaze-o route than being a fulfilling and motivating drama about prison life, something this really should've been meant for. A good story, but it drags miserably in acting performances and a sense of weirdness. If you want to see how cheap production values do exist, then don't blink when a close-up view of an inmate actually isn't holding the knife to thrust the guy's chest in. Good fun for "blaxplo" fans, but the majority of us would pass this up and stick to the ROCKY movies.