Jeffrey Wright gives an unflinching and pretty amazing portrayal of former prison gang leader 'Lois' who is nearing the end of his 24 year sentence in a maximum security prison. When a new inmate shifts the balance of prison society Lois must decide between protecting himself or getting involved in the brewing conflict.

There isn't really much of a story here, just a realistic view of prison life unlike anything I've seen before. The movie has a bit of a documentary feel to it because of where and how its filmed. Wright's performance is unflinching and very real feeling, probably the sole reason I stuck with this. Enjoyed his interactions with the warden William Fichtner and also how scared and uncertain Lois was to return to the outside world. Worth a watch.

The movie follows Louis, a prisoner who's been in for 24 years and is about to get on parole. He's portrayed by Jeffrey Wright who does an amazing job. He's about to get out so he's polite when he can be yet can still be violent when pushed. It's the prison life, nobody gives you a break because you're about to get out (or so I assume). He's also dealing with a lot of emotions that come with leaving what's essentially been his home for 24 years. When he gets out he's left with very little money, has to find a job, and has to adapt to the world around him. Where it becomes a story is he starts mentoring one of the new inmates. I think it's because he feels like he's been a bad guy in his life and it's a chance to do something good. Overall it just kind of follows Louis's day to day but I thought it was great and certainly way better than a score of a 6.

I'm not a fan of slow paced films without any real excitement, but this films story and Jeffrey Wright's performance kept me captivated throughout the entire film. The directing was decent with some nice shots, and considering it was filmed in a real prison with real inmates, it was quite the well put-together production. It really shows the reality of the last weeks of prison life from a 23 year inmate ready to get out to the real world facing his final challenges. No action, twists or Hollywood effects here, just a story told really well. It's an honest 8/10 from me, and if anyone questions my review as fake, click on my username to see 1000+ ratings and 600+ reviews.