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Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 3/16

Riot11
3/16: The moment I saw the name of the director for Riot in Cell Block 11, I instantly knew I was going to be in for a treat because Don Siegel had proven again and again that he could deliver first-rate entertainment.

It's this film's success that led him to make Invasion of the Body Snatchers, an all-time B movie classic. Also, it provided the very first work for Sam Peckinpah who would go on to direct The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, and Junior Bonner.

There's an eerie déjà vu which would be the basis of the Attica Prison Riot that took place in 1971. Let's face it: the public doesn't care about prisoners, prefering them to be locked up and the key thrown away forever. I'm also of the same mind and don't have any sympathy for them. Their beef about prison conditions are trivial. Yet the film is as well-done as it can be.

However, the guards have got a long way to go if they want to be safe. They should've been better equipped for the crisis. Also, no self-respecting prison official will divulge confidential information in front of the prisoners during critical moments. The ten-minute ending is too 50's for me to swallow.

All in all, prison riots never work in reality, and Riot in Cell Block 11 shows why.