Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

psychd-18722 This documentary was truly poignant and inspiring. I have no issue with the motivation or the legitimacy of the increase in prison population or the fact that minorities make up more of the population than social majorities. I also acknowledge and appreciate the patterns throughout history that may have contributed to this problem. I do, however, have an issue with the fact that many "facts" were exaggerated for the purpose of sensationalism. The ratios of population demographics, the prison population numbers, and the skewed political views made it very difficult to appreciate or trust the documentary's information. There are real numbers and statistics that support the basis of this film, however, they are not the ones presented in the documentary. For example, the population numbers are inclusive of local jail inhabitants despite being labeled "prison" population, increasing the numbers by hundreds of thousands for dramatic effect. Also, the documentary stats are that African-American males make up 6.5% of the US population, which is true. The documentary also states that African-American males make up 40.2% of the prison population. In reality, African-American Inmates of both genders make up 34.8% according to the Department of Justice's 2014 report. Hispanic/Latino inmates of both genders make up 34.9% while Caucasian inmates of both genders make up 27%. These numbers are accurate but not as dramatic as the ones presented in the documentary. They are still disturbing since they are not proportioned with the US population, showing minorities at a gross disadvantage since Hispanic/Latino and African-American races make up roughly 70% of the prison population despite only making up roughly 30% of the United States Population based on the 2010 Census. The problem is legitimate. The documentary's statistics are not. They also did not address the serious economic failings of our last president that contributed to poverty which contributes to crime, unemployment, and drug rates, however they did address failings in every other administration. The documentary was also politically skewed, using propaganda and voice overs out of context to disparage a certain political party or individual. Therefore, their political views could not be seen as objective either. Individuals presenting an issue of such grave importance should not allow themselves to be discounted by giving into the temptation for sensationalism, dramatics, and petty propaganda. Let the true facts speak for themselves to make known that the issue is real and must be addressed.

pensacolacomputer This documentary is one (very small) side to the story, but the other side is that statistics don't lie. I know a lot of black people blame the whites for all their problems and not take responsibility for their actions but they need to wake up. Educate yourself. Why are so many in jail? Trust me, not even .01% is because of racial injustice. Does prejudice exist? Sure. On BOTH sides.So why blame the whites? They did not put that gun in your hand, or make you smoke that drug, or make you not study in school, etc.. I do believe a lot has to do with the parents and the way people are raised but that is another topic for another time.So start being an upstanding member of society, and I guarantee you, people will start treating you that way. ALL LIVES MATTER.

JR Rushik In this eye opening documentary, the prison system is exposed as modern day slavery. The basis for this conclusion is a single line from the 13th amendment, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime...". Did you catch that? Slavery was made illegal, except as a punishment. In other words, the 13th amendment introduced a new form of slavery, the prison system. In regard to the films bias. The producer tries to remain balanced and nonpartisan, but it is clear that the there is a specific agenda at work. The first half of the film has a fairly balanced representation of both democrats and republicans as part of the problem, but the in the final 45 minutes the scales are woefully tipped to only spotlight liberal perspectives. This is the worst aspect of the film and the reason my review is not higher. I found that the heart of the film is not in a broken justice system, but instead in the value of people. Prisoners are people. Each has a story. The escalating number of prisoners has torn families apart and removed opportunity from otherwise productive members of our society. I am in favor of consequences for wrong actions, however the film highlights that there is a great deal of injustice in the system that results in unnecessary and overwhelming consequences. In a society that is built on treating people equally, the prison system with it's billion dollar economic system, often tramples on those values. Herein lies the tension. How do we honor and value all people and hold people accountable for their wrong actions? A prevailing value in our culture is that all people deserve fair and equal treatment. This is found throughout our justice system, but was born our of the Bible's text, "For God does not show favoritism." (Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34), et al. The people in prison are fellow human beings that deserve dignity and respect. They also need someone to be their voice to stand up for the injustice in they system. Not just for them but also for their children and grandchildren. The voice of this film is a clarion call for justice reform on behalf of this generation and the next. I give my highest recommendation for this important work.

Michael_Elliott 13th (2016) *** (out of 4)Extremely well-made, if one-sided, documentary that takes a look at the 13th Amendment and the mass incarceration that many claims is haunting this country. The documentary takes a look at the prison system in America and we see how the populations in prison have gone up through each of the last five decades. We see the political punches that were thrown by Reagan, Bush and Clinton and how people hope things can be changed.In today's day and age it's hard to find a documentary that is fair or balanced because filmmakers have a cause when they make movies and they want to throw all of their opinions and facts into what they're trying to push. 13 is an extremely well-made movie and for the first hour it's an extremely balanced movie. With that said, the final half hour goes completely off the mark but we'll get to that in a bit.As far as the film goes, it does a terrific job at showing the prison system and how so many more people are now behind bars. The documentary did a great job at going decade to decade showing the various laws that opened the prison doors including the "Three Strikes and You're Out" policy and why many people are serving life sentences for minor crimes. All of this is brilliantly told and the way the evidence is laid out was wonderfully done.With that said, the final portion of the film turns into a more Liberal documentary where the likes of Michael Brown and others are brought up. We're told about how awful this country is and how people of color are being terrorized. Well, we know Michael Brown never had his hands up. Yet that is never mentioned here. We're constantly told about how crime rates are falling yet this documentary never talks about the locations where crimes rates are going sky high. There's no mention of Chicago. The film also fails to really make a point that if you didn't commit a crime to begin with then you won't have to worry about the system. It seems this documentary wants to take away any punishment for those who commit crimes.