Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after his administration was publicly humiliated by Leone, and has now arrived on the scene to ensure that Leone never sees the light of day.
Acting
Sutherland's warden: pure theatrical malevolence with those eyebrows.
Practical Effects
Actual prison location shoots—no soundstage can fake that grime.
Score
Bill Conti's score trying desperately to elevate B-movie material.
Director
John Flynn
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Stallone's attempt to prove he could do serious drama after Rocky and Rambo—he reportedly took a massive pay cut and did uncredited rewrites.
The film's tagline and poster directly ripped off The Shawshank Redemption's marketing, despite releasing five years earlier—time is a flat circle of prison movie clichés.
US
