AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Dalbert Pringle In one way - 1954's "Riot In Cell Block 11" was kind of like watching a slice of Film Noir that goes to prison with no chance of parole - (Well, sort of) - Minus, of course, the femme fatale angle.As far as prison pictures go - This gritty, low-budget, tough-guy tale (though mighty tame by today's standards) still packed a substantial wallop even without a non-stop barrage of profanity and bloodshed.Filmed (in b&w) on location at Folsom State Prison, California - This particular picture is notable for being one of the first in its genre to have the disgruntled convicts manipulate the media in order to make their grievances about prison conditions known to the public.Yes. This picture featured typical, prison stereotypes. And, yes, it contained its fair share of unintentional humour, as well - But, all the same - (With its fast-paced, 80-minute running time) - It was still well-worth a view."Riot In Cell Block 11" (which was produced on a $300,000 budget) was directed by Don Siegel, who would later go on to direct Clint Eastwood in 1971's Dirty Harry.

Wizard-8 I hadn't even heard of this movie before until I stumbled upon the DVD of it at my neighborhood video store, and I decided to take a risk and rent it. After watching it, I'm glad I took a chance. Though the movie does seem a little tame when compared to modern day prison movies, it still packs a decent sized punch. It does bring up some of the brutal things prisoners have to go through, as well as the sometimes brutal behavior of prisoners themselves. And the way things are wrapped up at the end does come across as believable. The authentic feel of the movie is greatly assisted by shooting in a real prison with real inmates and guards.If I have a complaint about the movie, it would be that none of the characters are really examined deeply. I would have liked to have learned more about some of the ringleaders of the riot, as well as some of the guards. Though such deeper examinations might have made the movie much longer than the lean yet efficient eighty minute running time, and the movie might have dragged. But that's a minor problem; the movie as a whole works very well.

seymourblack-1 "Riot In Cell Block 11" is a fast-moving, low budget, prison drama that's violent, gritty and extremely hard-hitting. Its story about a riot that's organised to achieve better living conditions for the convicts in a large prison forcefully illustrates the reasons for their grievances and highlights the numerous problems associated with trying to make any meaningful improvements. With its relatively short running time, its style is predictably punchy, direct and economical but what makes it more remarkable is the intelligent, balanced and sincere way in which the whole subject of prison reform is examined.This movie is a typical docu-noir as it features extensive location work, a newsreel-style narration and many actual prisoners and guards appearing as extras. Additionally, one of the main characters is played by Leo Gordon who'd spent time in prison for armed robbery and its producer Walter Wanger also served a sentence for shooting a man who he believed was having an affair with his wife (movie star Joan Bennett). Wanger's experience made him a passionate advocate of prison reform and no doubt, is one of the reasons why the movie provides such a powerful and authentic picture of prison life in the 1950s.A group of prisoners break out of their cells one night and start a riot before overcoming their guards and holding them as hostages. The prisoners' leader James V Dunn (Neville Brand) makes the men's grievances known to the warden and threatens to kill the guards unless he's allowed to explain the men's demands to the press. Warden Reynolds (Emile Meyer) agrees and Dunn subsequently tells a group of reporters that the prisoners want an immediate end to overcrowding, terrible food and the practice of housing mentally ill convicts with the general prison population. Furthermore, they want an end to the beatings that are routinely meted out by the guards.In response to the trouble at the prison, the governor had sent his emissary, Commissioner Haskell (Frank Faylen) to negotiate on his behalf but on hearing the prisoners' demands, he refuses to make any concessions and threatens to have all the men executed unless they hand the guards back unharmed. Dunn's second-in-command, Crazy Mike Carnie (Leo Gordon), a man who's less stable than Dunn, becomes so incensed at Haskell's stance that he throws a knife at him and wounds him in the chest.To reinforce his intransigent stance, Haskell arranges for the state police to end the problems in cell block 11 by blowing a hole in a wall and the prisoners respond by tying their hostages to the same wall. Surprisingly, however, before the planned explosion takes place, the prisoners receive a message to confirm that the governor has agreed their demands and their victory is also reported in the newspapers. The events that follow don't work out in the way that the prisoners had envisaged and ultimately, they're left with mixed feelings.The divisions that exist within both sides who are involved in the dispute at the prison are clearly described as Dunn has to control the recklessly violent Mike Carnie, see off a challenge by another psychopathic prisoner who wants to take over the leadership role and confront the apathy of another man who doesn't want to participate because he expects to be paroled soon. Similarly, the sympathetic warden, who has long advocated the reforms that the prisoners want is forced to follow the course dictated by his political bosses who have their own reasons for not wanting to make concessions.Neville Brand and Leo Gordon are well cast as the two leaders of the riot and Emile Meyer is incredibly subtle and strong in his portrayal of the warden who carries out his orders with great dignity whilst at the same time feeling completely frustrated by regularly seeing men so brutalised by their experience in prison that 65% of them consistently re-offend. "Riot In Cell Block 11" is a movie that says a great deal in a short space of time and commendably recognises the complexities involved with prison reform rather than just resorting to using stereotypes and promoting simplistic solutions.

bmacv Riot in Cell Block 11 comes as a bit of a shock, but not because of its brutality (it's a cuddly little puppy compared to Jules Dassin's Brute Force). The shock is that Don Siegel, later to become inextricably associated with such violent and/or reactionary movies as his remake of The Killers, Madigan and Dirty Harry, turned out a temperate, balanced and humane look at prison conditions; another shock is that the movie emerged in the middle of a complacent decade not remembered for its sympathy to marginalized groups in American society.The droning voice-over that opens the movie doesn't bode well: It warns of a wave of riots throughout penitentiaries across the country and even takes us to a criminal-justice convention in Toronto where the topic is aired. But soon we're inside Cell Block 11, part of a run-down, overcrowded institution whose warden (Emile Meyer) has been campaigning for reforms, to no avail. (Standing up for convicted criminals, then and now, is political suicide.) When opportunity knocks, the inmates take over the asylum. What they want is press coverage of their quite moderate demands: More elbow room, separate facilities for the mentally ill among them, job training. But they've taken guards as hostages, and threaten to execute them if their demands aren't met.Leader of the rebels is Neville Brand, who tries to negotiate in good faith, but Meyer has one hand tied behind his back – by Frank Faylen, a hard-line state bureaucrat. Brand, too, has trouble keeping the prisoners in line, particularly those who see the riot less as a cause than as a chance for some cheap thrills. Siegel manages to keep the story taut within the claustrophobic confines of the prison and without too much in the way of splashy incident, until he brings it to a surprisingly rueful end. Somehow, he has managed to make an issues movie told almost solely through action.Siegel's career proved that he had more sides to him than he's generally known for. He started out cutting montages in other directors' movies (Blues in the Night and The Hard Way among them); when he moved into directing, his early work showed range in style and tone: The period thriller The Verdict, the light-hearted noir The Big Steal, the eschatological drama Night Unto Night. Too bad we can't remember him by saying that he just got better and better, because, unfortunately, it just isn't so.