Description: A young guard witnesses the Attica prison uprising as he becomes a hostage in the prisoners negotiations. Based on a true story.
Amazon.com: This HBO docudrama depicts the notorious 1971 prison revolt at the Attica State Penitentiary in upstate New York. One can sense the mastery of veteran theatrical feature director John Frankenheimer in the movie's gripping suspense and gritty, hard-hitting realism. The semifictionalized narrative is told from the point of view of young Michael Smith (Kyle MacLachlan), a newly recruited prison guard. (The real Smith worked as a consultant on the film.) When Smith arrives at Attica, the place is a revolt waiting to happen. When riots break out and the inmates take command of the prison, Smith and several other guards are held hostage. In this powder-keg climate, a relationship develops between Smith and the rebellion's wise, cool-headed leader, Jamaal (the superb Samuel L. Jackson), a political prisoner representing the African Liberation Movement. The insurrection at Attica became emblematic of protests taking place all over the United States at the time. "We've got a civil war going on in this country," says one prison guard, "This is where we hold the line." Against the Wall illustrates in no uncertain terms which side won this particular battle, and at what tragic cost. Then it goes one step further, becoming a platform for contemporary prison reform. The film's terrific performances include Clarence L. Williams III as a wild-eyed, malcontent prisoner, Frederic Forrest as a rabid prison guard, and Anne Heche as Smith's stalwart wife. --Laura Mirsky
Not for the faint of heart A great look into what a prison riot is , I work in a prison and I can clearly say it can jump off that easy. Be safe fellow law enforcers
a classic based on a true incident it gives good incite on what happened well scripted and the actors excellent
Cool! It's an excellent and shocking film about a dark event of an American prison. The actors are fantastic. It's worth seeing it.
Kyle Gets Out Alive--Without Shoes! Action packed with lots of violence and moral messages about prison rights, this one'll grab you. Maclachlan as the newest guard tries to do the right thing initially, only to be thwarted by his superiors. Once the prisoners have taken over, politics keep things from being resolved effectively; meanwhile, Micheal Smith (Kyle) gives a speech about prisoners' mistreatment to TV reporters but won't accept shoes!! Anyway, he lives. Not everone else does. Pretty intense flick.
Don't be mislead For those of you who have read arielera's review of this movie I would just like to clear up some things. There are some discrepencies in this movie as with all Hollywood films about real-life events. There was no bar owned by my grandfather in which my uncle Mike would visit after work - by the way he is not an alcoholic. Sometimes movies need to include parts that didn't really exist because the story can not get the point across without a little embellishment. However, this is a great movie which depicts a lot about what really happend during those days.
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