Rotten
It's impossible to ignore the strain of misogyny that taints the movie.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Civil Brand
Never underestimate the power of a woman... behind bars.
2002 · 1h 35m · R
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Neema Barnette
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Civil Brand
Overview
Forced to work under slave-like conditions in a "prison for profit" program, the inmates of a mostly-African-American female prison, Whitehead Correctional, try to take over the institution.
Director and cast
- Neema Barnette Director
- LisaRaye McCoy as Frances Shepard
- N'Bushe Wright as Nikki Barnes
- Monica Calhoun as Wet
- Clifton Powell as Capt. Alan Deese
- Yasiin Bey as Michael Meadows
- Da Brat as Sabrina
- Tichina Arnold as Aisha
- Lark Voorhies as Lil' Mama
- MC Lyte as Sgt. Cervantes
- Mary Ann Schmidt as Female Prisoner
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
16%
Tomatometer
Rotten
It's guilty of gross B-movie meltdown, but mitigating circumstances include honest anger and a scattering of vivid scenes.
Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger
Rotten
Barnette, a veteran TV director, means this as an expose of prison abuse and exploitation, but the film is too simplistic and derivative to succeed.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Rotten
Artistically, its heavy-handed clumsiness undercuts its goals.
Tom Long, Detroit News
Rotten
It presents a heated-up, awkward blend of earnest outrage and down-and-dirty exploitation.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
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