Against the Wall (1994 film)
Against the Wall | |
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HBO Pictures | |
Distributed by | HBO |
Release date |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5.8 million |
Against the Wall is a 1994 American
Plot
The
The film opens with a montage of news footage from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the
Smith begins hearing of complaints of degrading conditions from increasingly politicized prisoners, particularly Jamaal X, a Muslim leader prominent in the fight for prisoner rights.[1][4] Smith is portrayed as the only officer who treats the inmates with respect and his occasional signs of sympathy for the prisoners make his co-workers suspicious of him. The seasoned Corrections Officers, like Lieutenant Weisbad, do not allow challenges to their methods of complete, and often humiliating, control. Ultimately Smith's alliance with Jamaal saves his life.[4]
Initially Smith allows himself to
Smith refuses to humiliate himself in exchange for basic needs unlike the other captured officers.[8][9] He tells his puzzled co-workers, "I wasn't a guard long enough to learn how to be a prisoner."[1] Jamaal comes to respect Smith for his non-conformity and considers him to be a kindred spirit. Jamaal recruits Smith to speak to a news crew, to testify that the hostages have not been tortured or killed.[8] As the news conference, Smith hints to Jamaal that he cares more about his own dignity than the approval of others, an attitude he did not show prior to the crisis.[9] However, New York's governor ends negotiations on the fifth day of the uprising and orders a raid by law enforcement officials and soldiers. Inmates and their hostages are fired at indiscriminately as their vision is impaired by tear gas. Chaka and Lt. Weisbad are among those killed. Smith is shot several times in the stomach by a friend who is a New York State Police officer. Jamaal is wounded by a stray bullet. [8]
The statistics in film's
Cast
- Kyle MacLachlan as Corrections Officer Michael Smith
- Samuel L. Jackson as inmate Jamaal X
- Clarence Williams III as inmate Chaka
- Frederic Forrest as Vietnam veteran Corrections Officer Lieutenant Weisbad
- Harry Dean Stanton as Hal Smith, Michael's father and a retired Correction Officer
- Philip Bosco as Corrections Commissioner Russell Oswald
- Tom Bower as Ed, Michael's uncle who works in the prison
- Anne Heche as Sharon Smith, Michael's wife
- Carmen Argenziano as Mancusi
- Peter Murnik as Jesse
- Steve Harris as Cecil
- David Ackroyd as William Kunstler
- Danny Trejo as Ramirez
- Denis Forest as Denny
Production
The film had a 31-day shooting schedule and $5.8 million budget.[1] The film was filmed in Tennessee State Penitentiary near Nashville, Tennessee and in Clarksville, Tennessee in the spring of 1993.[1][10] Michael Smith, who never worked in a prison again, was located with the help of private investigators.[11] Former inmates who were present during the riot were cast as extras.[10]
MacLachlan spent hours talking to Smith to prepare for the role.[4] Smith was originally invited to consult for a few days but stayed for the duration of the filming.[6] Jackson drew on his own experience as an activist at Morehouse College in the 1960s, read books, and watched the TV series Eyes on the Prize to prepare for the role of Jamaal X. Williams prepared for the role of Chaka by watching documentary footage of the riot.[4]
Critical reception
The film received almost unanimous acclaim from critics when it had its television premiere.[10] Critics felt the film was compelling and praised the cast for its performance.[1][4][6] The Chicago Tribune praised the "finely drawn characters" in Ron Hutchinson's script.[4]
Historical accuracy
Although the prisoners were discontented with the ghastly prison conditions, the unplanned uprising began with a misunderstanding. On Sept. 8, 1971, a prisoner had been accused of hitting an officer. The next morning, after more prisoner infractions and a miscommunication among officers, a group of prisoners were locked in a tunnel connecting different parts of the prison. Believing that officers were coming to beat them up in reprisal, the prisoners attacked the officers in the tunnel and some attacked each other. Prisoners in other parts of the facility figured out what was happening and began to arm themselves e.g. with two-by-fours, chair legs, etc. When the prisoners in the tunnel burst out, the other inmates were taking over the prison. They created a society, with some rules by consensus and elected leaders.
The prison uprising ended on September 13, 1971, when 1,000 New York
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k O'Connor, John J. (1994-03-26). "Review/Television; Unlikely Allies in a Dangerous Place and Time". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Leonard, John (1994-03-28). "In the Belly of the Beast". New York. Vol. 27, no. 15. p. 115 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Against the Wall". www.emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Randle, Nancy (1994-03-20). "'Wall' Relives Drama, Tragedy Of Attica Uprising". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Democracy Now. 2011-09-12.
- ^ a b c Mukherjee, Tiarra (1994-04-01). "Attica Revisted". Vibe. Vol. 2, no. 3. p. 95 – via Google Books.
- ^ Armstrong 2007, p. 187.
- ^ a b c d e Armstrong 2007, p. 188.
- ^ a b c Armstrong 2007, p. 190.
- ^ a b c Armstrong 2007, p. 44.
- ISBN 978-0810890572.
- ^ a b c Oppenheimer, Mark (2016-08-19). "'Blood in the Water,' a Gripping Account of the Attica Prison Uprising". The New York Times.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (2011-11-26). "Tom Wicker, Times Journalist, Dies at 85". The New York Times.
- ^ Weber, Brandon (2015-09-12). "The biggest secrets about what happened at Attica in 1971 are still kept hidden". Upworthy.
- ^ a b c Roberts, Sam (2011-09-13). "Rockefeller on the Attica Raid, From Boastful to Subdued". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Craig, Gary (2015-05-21). "Attica records: Inmates brutalized, denied medical treatment". USA Today.
- ^ a b c Thompson, Heather Ann (2015-05-26). "How Attica's Ugly Past Is Still Protected". Time.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (2004-08-03). "Frank Smith, 71, Is Dead; Sought Justice After Attica". The New York Times.
Bibliography
Armstrong, Stephen B. (2007-08-31). Pictures About Extremes: The Films of John Frankenheimer.
External links
- Against the Wall at IMDb