CIVIL BRAND

RATING:

Starring: LisaRaye, Monica Calhoun, Da Brat, Clifton Powell, Mos Def, MC Lyte, Lark Voorhies, N'Bushe Wright, Tichina Arnold, Robert Archer Lynn, Reed McCants. Written by Joyce Renee Lewis, and Preston A. Whitmore II. Directed by Neema Barnette.

Rated R - for violence including a rape, and for pervasive strong language.

Civil Brand is not a holiday feel good movie. It’s a dirty, tough as nails depiction of criminal activity within a women’s correctional facility, prison. In short: abuse. Abuse by the Warden, officers and primarily the head officer in charge of the day to day. Feminine activists beware: this will get you pissed off and will make you want to protest something.

Da Brat narrates our story for us. It’s told through her eyes as Sabrina, one of the inmates. She tells of a prison that’s been neglected by the public officials and those in charge who abuse their power. In this prison, the warden along with his number one man Banks (Robert Lynn) are running an illegal sweat shop with the inmates. They work constantly at $1.50 per day so that any shady company who’s willing to do business can save big bucks on labor costs. The warden and head officer Banks get a fat cut of course, nothing is free after all.

But that’s not all of it. It would be a very short and boring story if it were. It gets deeper when we see the Banks both physically and sexually abusing the inmates at will. The women get to the point where they feel it’s time to fight back. This is where it gets ugly. They begin by trying to do the right thing and go through the legal channels. They get a petition going with everyone’s signature but the warden throws this away. The next logical step is to do it yourself so they take a few hostages and begin their revolution.

I’m sorry; did I give too much away? I’d be ashamed of you if you didn’t see all that coming right after you read the opening paragraph. By no means do I feel that this is a poor movie but it all seems pretty predictable. You more or less know something is going to go down pretty quick into the film. You can just as easily see all the “good” people getting killed just for the shock value as well as the “bad” guys get what they deserve in the end. It’s been done before but what I did like about CIVIL BRAND is the fact that it’s a women prison. We rarely see anything on these penal colonies, period, let alone a movie that tries to take such a dramatic course.

It was well done as far as its scope and material was concerned. It had all the elements you would expect. Some scenes were purposely made to get your emotions going. The scene with Lil’ Mama for instance. I don’t want to ruin it, but for those with weak hearts, be warned. It’s not a nice thing. It might get you. Others were made just to piss you off. All this so that there could be some satisfaction when all is said and done. So that you’re glad when the bad guy gets his or the good “guy” gets hers.

The acting was something that I was a bit surprised with. It wasn’t bad. I know that sounds a little mean but lets face it, MC Lyte and Da Brat are not actresses. Yet they played their roles to a very acceptable extent. Not once in any scene did you have to groan at a corny line or delivery. Mos Def as you might know by now, has already dabbed a bit in acting so it’s no surprise that he was fine for his role. Though as always it’s a side role and not too prominent.

One point I’d like to make is the cinematography. This is what gave it such a gritty feel. It would have to be if the entire story takes place in a prison but not so. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION didn’t have such a grimy look to it and it worked all fantastic for them. You can’t compare the actors obviously but what helped balance that out was the look and feel of CIVIL BRAND. It always reminded you that it wasn’t pretty. This was prison and lots of ugly things happen here. It helped the story along a great deal.

If you’re a fan of the above named hip-hop artists then by all means go see this movie. It’s a glimpse into their possible acting careers and a treat for the fans. Go see this if you’re a fan of the prison genre (IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER has to be one of the BEST ever). It’ll be a fine addition to your collection. Do not go see this if you’re expecting heart wrenching, Oscar vying, dramatic performances or plot. They use standard story tricks to pull on your heartstrings but you can mostly see through it. After all is said and done, however, it’s still a well-made movie that could be worth your time. CIVIL BRAND opens to a limited release in NY and LA this Friday.

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