Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson

THE STORY:  It won't take too long to do the review of this movie, so I figured I'd start with a few other things. First, why this movie? well, no other reason than for any movie judged in the Inferno. I found it, I wanted to watch it, I figured it needed to be judged. Case Closed. Well, not entirely closed....a few weeks ago the Inferno judged two other Don "the Dragon" Wilson movies....they were on sale on DVD relatively cheaply. I found this one for the same price. I like to collect b-movies when I can afford them and heck, pretty soon I might own every one of the Bloodfist movies. So that's how this movie came to the Inferno.

The second thing I'd like to bring up is prison movies in general. I'm no expert on the subject matter, like The Warden at the most excellent Prison Flicks site. (if you've never seen it then you should hasten there at all due speed after the Inferno)

I've noticed in movie prisons that there seems to be a general attitude by the characters that they're being unfairly punished. In some movies that's true...and I'm sure in real life it happens, but lets stick to movies right now. The characters usually whine about the system and how they're being treated like animals, etc. Excuse me...YOU'RE IN PRISON DUMBASS!

With the exception of Jimmy Boland in this movie the other characters had no sad violin tale to tell about why they were in jail. One can only assume they deserved the sentence the received. Look, I've seen my best friend from High School sent down for drug dealing. He's been in jail since the early nineties and I don't think he can get out until at least 2008. Do I feel bad? No. As a matter of fact HELL NO. So don't expect a bunch of other fictional cons get to my tear jerkers. Besides as I said the audience doesn't hear of any of their back stories. Even Stark, played by Richard "Shaft" Roundtree never tells us why he's in jail. So while Stark may have gotten his act together in jail and become a good man, for all we know he might have killed a child in cold blood to get there. Prison movies like this often try to make the characters sympathetic, but it usually only works for the hero of the flick. Not everyone in jail can be innocent and it wouldn't work for the hero's comrades to all be good guys would it?

I also think on some level that the movie tried weakly to show the attitude of a life prisoner to the audience. Blue, the de facto leader of the black inmate gang tells Stark that he has to get respect in prison because he's probably never going to get out. In another movie I might have felt bad for Blue. But we don't really know why he's in prison. He might have done things so heinous he deserves his double life sentence. If not, why isn't he defending his innocence in some way instead of being the prison bully? I tire of images of Blue and the few real life characters I know that resemble him. Hey, I know life is tough, but that doesn't give you the right to be a murdering bully to get 'respect'.

Then again, maybe that's the way the movie wanted me to feel. Don "The dragon" Wilson (and Nathan, I read your review of Terminal Rush...you're right...I'm damn tired of typing "the dragon" after his name all of the time!) is Jimmy Boland, a half Asian, half white inmate, imprisoned unjustly for a manslaughter charge. While defending another inmate from Luther and a bunch of thugs he kicks much ass and kills Luther. This gains him the respect of Wheelhead, the leader of the prison's Aryan Brotherhood, and the ire of Blue, the leader of the black inmates.

Jimmy doesn't really care. He just wants to serve his time and get the hell out of dodge. That's a fairly lax attitude for an innocent man, but perhaps Jimmy is simply accepting his fate. I'd be screaming to anyone that would listen that I was innocent. However his life gets more complicated when the Director of Corrections (played by the same fat guy that was the mayor on the old 70's sitcom Carter Country) is embarrassed by the fight. Reporters happened to be at the prison that day and they witnessed Jimmy's fight with Luther. Jimmy is sent to C block, which is apparently a 'black' section of the prison....the warden, Taylor, figures he'll be killed for murdering Blue.

Jimmy is more than able to take care of himself and he soon gains the respect of both the Aryans and the black inmates. He also makes a friend of his new cellmate, Stark. Stark is pretty much the nominal leader of a group of multi- racial inmates that tend a prison garden. Jimmy finds acceptance with them and despite several attacks by Wheelhead and Blue he makes it clear...he doesn't want any trouble.

As in most prison movies the warden isn't through with the hero. I have little idea why the warden is after Jimmy in the first place. Actually it may be more accurate to say the warden is after Stark. He says Stark has made problems in the past by being a "jailhouse lawyer" but still...would a real warden be that vindictive? And would real prison guards be so scummy to let it go on? For that matter I don't think most prison guards could be as scummy as the ones we see in movies. If they were the prerequisite for the job would have to be "Born without a conscience and not have a sense of right or wrong; must be ready to use and promote violence to solve problems." I don't believe that and neither should you.

Jimmy manages to defeat his enemies and in a round about way expose the Warden's wickedness (even though we don't really see anything happen to the warden, its pretty clear that his career is finished.) I didn't go through a big play by play because I didn't want to ruin this for anyone who hasn't seen it. I expected it to be a ridiculous but entertaining movie with lots of ludicrous karate fights and stuff. But it was pretty low key. A welcome break from the usual low budget crap Corman puts out for Wilson. Wilson isn't an actor, but he tries. I don't fault him for his acting because he is at heart an athlete that makes movies featuring his athletic prowess. This movie allowed him to do some martial arts (not as much as I'd like, but then I could watch a movie with a thirty minute fist fight and giggle) and try to play a sympathetic character. I say at least he tried.

Best Lines: "No...its for STARK!"- Jimmy tells Blue he wants revenge for what he did to his friend. amazingly, Don "The Dragon" Wilson even makes that line sound forced.

"Just because I'm half Japanese the cops were always looking at me sideways."- Jimmy Boland.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?:

1.) Geez... the first fight of the movie and these bozos make the mistake all bozos do when fighting a guy that obviously has a Phd in Ass Kicking...they attack one at a time. Guys, there are like four or five of you! If you jump Jimmy you might not get the snot kicked out of you! Actually, one thug has the right idea. After watching Jimmy make mincemeat out of his buddies he turns and runs.

2.) What kind of Aryan brotherhood is this prison housing? Yeah, they're a bunch of pinhead slime balls, but that's a given...they have to be to be 'Aryan brotherhood' creeps, but they actually want Boland to join even after acknowledging that he's half Asian?

3.) Blue and Wheelhead obviously hang out together. They seem to be good friends. Heck, they're grilling a sandwich together! How can either of these guys have any followers? Wheelhead is the Aryan leader and Blue is the Black inmate leader...and they're good friends. Ain't that special? So why would anyone join their groups? A typical inmate would see that they don't even follow their own convictions. (even though their convictions are garbage) Something like this was explored in the movie American History X....check that flick out sometime.

4.) Oh, right...the whole plan to get Stark was to get him to report to the garden during the 4th of July celebration. First of all, having a prison murder on a holiday while the Director of Corrections is there can't be a good PR move...and secondly why have Stark report to the garden as if its really important. There's nothing but flowers and a few veggies there. (and I damn sure didn't see the veggies.) Clint and the Italian inmate comment that some seeds might have sprouted...are the guards conducting an experiment where they actually time how long it takes for a plant to sprout? Standing there waching and saying "Look! I think I see it sprouting! Yes! It is sprouting! Call Stark...he won't want to miss this!".

NUDITY AND SEX:  No nudity but an inmate is raped.

HUH?:  The warden seems to want the various 'crews' to kill Boland but I can't see why. Boland just wants to serve his time and get out, he's not trying to cause any problems. Stark has basically set up a multi-racial group that expresses harmony and knowledge....isn't that what a warden would want? A prison with few conflicts and one where the inmates work together to do something positive? (Even if its just growing a garden) I mean, wouldn't that experience along with having to be in prison help rehabilitate criminals better than the violent atmosphere we see in most prison movies? If I were the warden I think the peaceful harmony stuff would look better on my resume' when I run for a public office.

As an addition to what I just wrote above the Warden hates Stark because Stark's jailhouse lawyer thing has been making waves for him...but Stark's about to be released in DAYS!!!! Why not just let Stark go free and forget about him? Chances are the warden would never see or hear from him again once he's free.

Why is there a rake in the garden. The place is on top of a building! The plants are in pots! There's nothing to rake but cement or tarmac or whatever the roof is made of...and it ain't dirt!

THE FINAL JUDGMENT: Action movie fans will want to at least take a look at this movie. The Dragon's fans will definitely want to see it.   I really want to know what the Warden at Prison Flicks thinks about it. He knows more about jail movies than  most of us will ever learn and this movie seems right up his alley.