This movie was really good! I was a skeptic at first but gave it a chance & it was well worth my time... This movie unfortunately came out just a couple of weeks after September 11, 2001 which overshadowed this movies release I believe. If it didn't come out directly after the Horrible attacks on 9/11 I think this movie would've gotten a lot more attention. But at that time we were a nation in shock & those events overshadowed everything within that time period Following the horrific events of that day. Getting back to the movie, it was very well acted & very well scripted. Also the movie had quite a few well-known actors including Robert Redford & James Gandolfini just to name a couple. If you're looking for a movie that is not your typical Hollywood CGI, action-packed, horribly acted movie, then I definitely recommend you check this flick out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Having served in the military I found some vague references of this movie real and so much more not real. Everything from the attitude of the prisoners and the commandant I thought the movie was too phony. Too many plot vehicles. Too much Hollywood BS.I really hated it and there aren't any scenes which I even remotely thought were worth my time. The characters are unrealistic. The plot even less real. The script poorly written.This might be one of Robert Redford's worst movies.

This movie is an affront to the military by a leftist who hates the military and the USA. A 4 star US Army General allowing soldiers to murder civilians! really? As a veteran of the US Army this movie is a joke. There is no way that a US 4 star General would allow something like that to happen! oh and the prisoners are innocents abused by the guard! silly and so predictable! not worth the time. No wonder Redfords movies fail at the box office. All his movies are themed towards his bias' and have a communist leftist spin. Avoid this movie!Oh and the Prison Commandant, A Colonel allows abuse and murder to occur. No officer in the military who risk his life, career and reputation to abuse anyone under his charge!

Despite the setting, this movie has little to do with prisons. Rod Lurie's vision, combined with the extraordinary talents of Robert Redford and James Gandolfini, is a morality play set in the most unlikely of locations. We have a man who has risen to the height of his potential, the Colonel, who will never advance above that rank, and is bitter with his role in life. He is an administrator among soldiers who wanted to be a soldier and was instead given the task of maintaining order at a prison. That he could show leadership by helping these men to regain their self respect and dignity has escaped him, and he is content to amuse himself by creating situations which lead to the prisoners becoming the animals he believes them to be. When the General comes to his prison, he thinks he has found a kindred spirit who can appreciate his manipulation of the men. To his disappointment, he finds the General a thoughtful and honorable soldier who has chosen to accept his punishment without excuse or explanation. While the Colonel must fight to maintain control, his methods and his intellect lack humanity and understanding. The General is given control by the prisoners because of his intellect and understanding. He offers the prisoners the one thing the warden cannot, dignity. Rated R for language and violence, this film is not for everyone, and certainly not for the very young. It is, however, an essential element in the creation of a leader, and should be seen by anyone who aspires to lead.