BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Executscan Expected more

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

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.

Shane Levene Punishment park is nearly a good film. It revolves around a group of hippies who are suffering from some kind of political activism that has turned them into zombies intent on overthrowing all military might. Shot in documentary style fashion there are obviously many comparisons that have been made with The Blair Witch Project (a film that would come many years later and use different subject matter to tell the same story). Punishment Park fails in it's nihilistic premise of of outlandish bum sex scenes leading to a grand orgy of violence as the protesters are shot down and raped in front of a watching news crew. These scenes were a little overdone and the gore was of a very low quality. 3 out of 10. Watch this film only if you are a hippie.

Thorsten_B It kicks you in the stomach. There are other films with more convincing characters, a more realistic story, and maybe even more depth concerning political invocations. But then again, most of these are not directed by Peter Watkins. Maybe the one true genius artist of British Film to emerge out of the 1960s, Watkins has made quite a bunch of rarely seen films that perfectly capture the spirit of the outer-aesthetic world - the world of political ongoings, social problems and governmental solutions. Thus, his work is probably less "filmic" than, say, political, which some may call a weakening of their inherent artistic quality. Then again, why shouldn't art allow itself to become engaged? Watkins dares. And succeeds. You won't feel well with this one. You won't feel happy. Actually, you won't really like the film; it is uncompromising, honest, direct, unashamed; a smash in your face, in short. You can't help getting angry, you can't resist to let the things you see touch you. That is what makes Watkins' films so rewarding.

solomonmethod **** POSSIBLE SPOILER ****What we have here are a lot of angry people, and the more emotional the characters become, the greater the potential for well produced cinema.Anyone who has taken basic Sociology will tell you that there are 2 major philosophic viewpoints a person can take on society. The first being the Marxist perspective: The 'have nots' will eventually rise up against the establishment. The second being Emile Durkheim's 'Functionalism': Every part of society serves a purpose for maintaining it's structure. The need for an economic system, the postal system, business development, the judicial system, the political system, hospitals and even the protesters who help to keep things in check.The hippies in this movie, although angry, were able to articulate themselves enough to present a somewhat intelligent point of view. The educated judiciary council were not able to put forth anything worth listening to. They seemed to be far more concerned with containing the prisoners' behaviours. What really got me was that one of the members of this council was a sociologist. Not only were the Republican right wingers not able to effectively communicate their beliefs, they weren't even able to listen to the prisoners when it was their turn to speak. Sadly everything became little more than a yelling match, and this is where it all became one sided.As far as we know the prisoners were arrested for some sort of conspiracy to commit an act of treason against America. We were not told of any real actions that any of the prisoners may have legitimately committed. The only thing we know is that the prisoners were verbally expressive. So as far as I can see, the people in charge of the sentencing seemed to think that the first amendment was just a joke.So for anyone who has half an understanding of basic Sociology, you may want to skip this movie. It is an overly one sided movie geared towards hippie rhetoric, with heaps of authoritarian counter force thrown in to make the movie's Marxist point that much more vibrant. That is all.

shikimo9 I loved the first 15 minutes, and I loved some of the dialogue in the tribunal--which proved to be the best showcase for the director's ahead-of-its-time method acting technique--but this movie ultimately disappoints. Even when viewed purely as a metaphor of the oppressor/oppressed dynamics that were and are prevalent in the relationship between the US government and its more "disobedient" citizens, it still lacks punch and believability, and ultimately left me looking at my watch hoping the obvious ending would happen already.And for the record: despite rampant rumors to the contrary, this movie has never been banned in the US (I can't comment on the rumors of UK censorship, but I'm suspicious). Hollywood refused to distribute it after its initial film festival showing, and I am more than willing to believe the Nixon government had some influence on this decision; however, the fact that it never appeared on American television is merely a reflection of this medium's rather careful and advertising-driven fashion of doing business. As for the present, you can have your very own copy of the DVD delivered to your door via Amazon in a few days.