this movie is underrated

There's nothing wrong with this movie (maybe the sequel which sucks big time). Strong performances, decent scenario, realistic depiction of life in prison, the movie has this grim thing about it and flows really well...Powerful powerful stuff..
...Now especially when one considers the crappy prison movies that have been made in the past I don't see why it ranks so low. And yeah sure there might be some flawed historical research on the slave issue but that is a minor detail in my book. The message he is trying to pass -though overplayed- is clear and it is don't play into the traps of the ruling class who predetermnine a minority's future (the blacks in this case) by setting elaborate schemes to keep them under forms of slavery - see gangbanging and ghettos in the most current form - .Violence is a vicious circle and someone's got to break the chain. Okay noble stuff, nothing new.

So okay while the concept is nothing novel it ain't shallow either.

Underrated!