Dog Pound (2010)

I first heard about Dog Pound, when I saw the trailer during the first time I saw Black Dynamite (knew I'd shoehorn a reference to that eventually). Now as far as prison movies go, it would take a movie that went a really long way to beat A Prophet; I'd be surprised if i saw a better one in all my life but the fact, i bring it up and not the sense of 'It ain't no 'A Prophet...' should be taken as high praise indeedy.
Dog Pound is very accomplished. At very least, you come out at the end and feel like you've been through some shit -whether you liked it or not.
I doubt I call out many new auteurs as people we should all keep our eyes on but Kim Chapirion is. This guy is so confident and assured, that you can't help but take notice.
This film made want to rip my shirt open, get into a fight and spit blood in someone's face. And I would have but it was apple sausages night. You know I love the apple sausages.
Dog Pound takes place in youth offenders prison or whatever the equivalent is in Montana, USA and follows the paths of these 3 young men- Butch, Angel and Davis as they enter jail for various reasons-possession, GTA, GBH, etc.
Davis is a bit of a ladykiller and not much else, Angel is a lil bit tough but good natured. Then we come to Butch. Such a sorry soul is Butch, he's a young man whose never been able to trust an adult in his short life and will do anything to rebel against them in anyway he can.
Here, i may have made it sound like he's just flouncy and grumpy, pram-facing up the joint but he's actually brutally harming anyone who gets in his way. Including a horrible group of bullies, headed by the thuggish Banks.
What's even more amazing is that the cast of this movie made up mostly, of non-actors but they're brilliant, especially the guy playing Butch, who destined to make any girls crush on this 21st century Brando-stees and the guy playing Banks is a thoroughly hateful but loveable villain; it all works because in this setting, the naturalism really works and covers for the plotting that might jump-the-shark for some.
At it's center, I think what Dog Pound is really brilliant at selling is that feeling of someone getting in your face and quietly humiliating you, of someone intimidating you and before you know it, you've given up your self-respect and handed it over to them and they've made you resent yourself for being weak, more than them for taking it. It's sparsely written but it pretty much all resonates the way it was intended. It sucks you in early on and doesn't let go until the very end.
And if that all hasn't convinced you to watch this minor masterpiece, here's the short-sighted 3word Cody-style sales-pitch- it's like a French-Canadian 'Scum'...

I watched Dog Pound (2010), on Dvd via LoveFilm.
My 2011 in Movies will return with The Battle of the Sexes (1959)...