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• riot in cell block 11

  • kevin sellers
  • 1/6/17

  This taut, exciting prison drama from the great action director, Don Siegel, with its inmate hero and politician/bureaucrat villain, (somewhat ironically played by Dobie Gillis' dad, Frank Faylen), although made in the 50s has the feel of the late 60s anti authoritarian penal classics like "Cool Hand Luke" and "Dirty Dozen." Richard Collins' intelligent and thankfully not overly preachy screenplay tries for balance by placing some of the inmates, like "Crazy" Mike Carney, (well played by veteran TV actor Leo Gordon) on the Manson end of the viciousness scale, but clearly you are meant to sympathize with the victims of institutions like the one in this film, that are overcrowded, underfunded, and rife with abusive guards, boredom, and general hopelessness. Nice to see, in the lead roles, two great 50s bad guys, Neville Brand and Emile Meyer, (remember him as the sadistic cop in "Sweet Smell Of Success"?) playing thoughtful men of moral principles; Brand as a repeat offender who sacrifices any chance at parole for the betterment of his fellows and Meyer as a humane warden. Both are quite effective. Also good is an actor I've not seen before named Robert Osterioh playing the most well educated and reluctant of the rioters. About the only thing I could have done without is the whiff of 50s homophobia involved in portraying the lone gay prisoner as a knife wielding, violent predator that Osterioh's character says must be kept away from the "kids" as part of the official demands. Give it an A. P.S. Location shooting at Folsom Prison in Northern California (where Johnny Cash gave his famous concert) is a real authenticity booster.

• None Quiet On The Prison Front

  • Clichae
  • 1/4/17

  It surprised me to see no user reviews for this movie thinking it was a classic prison drama after watching it on dvd! It is a powerfully acted & active men's motion picture that women can appreciate too. It's satisfactory conclusion was wise: hope for eventual improvement but no leniency for the guilty rioters!

• None Quiet on the Prison Front

  • Clichae
  • 1/3/17

  Having seen this movie on dvd, it surprised me to see no user reviews for it, thinking this was a well known classic prison movie! As a powerfully acted & active men's motion picture, women can appreciate its goings-on. The ending satisfactorily put forth a wise judgement that was both hopeful but not lenient to the inmates!

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