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Against the Wall (1994)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 8/14

Attica
8/14: Here's a profound statement by one of the hostages during the Attica uprising in Against the Wall and, ladies and gentlemen, let us all take a deep breath: "Michael. If I have to suck the cock of every man on this yard to get out of here, I'll do it."

If that's the way to go, I guess that's the way to go. And here's another classic from an escaped prison guard: "They've got fucking hostages strung up with their fucking cocks cut off and stuffed in their fucking mouths!" Honestly, I found myself laughing more often than not while watching the film. That's not a good sign when it's intended to be a serious drama about the famous prison riot in Attica, New York.

Anyway, it's impossible for me to sympathize with the prisoners because most of their rights had been revoked after they were found guilty of their crimes. So, what do I care? On the other hand, correctional officer is definitely one of the toughest jobs in the world. One simple look at Kyle MacLachlan's face says it all that he's not cut out for this particular line of work.

I got tired of his self-righteousness speeches although it's common among newbies to do that within their first year on the job. The matter of fact is the system is impossible to overcome. So, either he needs to get used to it or ship out and find another profession. By the way, there's a nice piece of tactical work by the New York State Police and the National Guard to retake the prison. I'm sure it was planned out extensively.

All in all, Against the Wall is a mostly one-sided exploitation of what happened and relies a lot on star power of Samuel L. Jackson to generate sympathy for the prisoners' cause.