Penitentiary (1979) User Reviews

An odd mix of the real and the ridiculous

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 7 August 2011]

A man is wrongly imprisoned for murder. While in the penitentiary he gets involved in a boxing competition that the prison hosts.

Penitentiary is a somewhat odd blaxploitation movie. It seems to be a curious mix of realism and ridiculousness. While on the one hand, the idea of a prison boxing competition where the male and female inmates can get together is a very silly idea. But on the other hand, the movie also deals with issues of institutionalisation and the tone overall is often quite sombre. So it's a strange combination. It has to be said though that the best moment is the excellent fight scene between the hero and his psychotic cell mate. It's a pretty ferocious and exciting affair and I suppose just emphasises that Penitentiary is definitely a fight film over and above anything else.

This is definitely a good example of its type. It's certainly not a typical prison drama though that's for sure. It even spawned a couple of sequels that recycled the same idea to ever more ridiculous extents. It's certainly one of the least likely franchises you could imagine.

Rowdy prison film offers more strange attitude than drama.

[emm · 5/10 · 3 February 1999]

Xenon deserves a big nod for releasing these long lost 70s blaxploitation movies on home video. PENITENTIARY does have some enjoyable moments, including the wild boxing matches. This one obviously takes the sleaze-o route than being a fulfilling and motivating drama about prison life, something this really should've been meant for. A good story, but it drags miserably in acting performances and a sense of weirdness. If you want to see how cheap production values do exist, then don't blink when a close-up view of an inmate actually isn't holding the knife to thrust the guy's chest in. Good fun for "blaxplo" fans, but the majority of us would pass this up and stick to the ROCKY movies.

penitentiary

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 9 November 2021]

Following on Fanaka's promising first film "Emma May", with its strong feminist and community themes, this second, more commercially successful feature is a distinct disappointment belonging, as it does, in the entryway to the Museum Of Standard Prison Pics (somewhere between "The Green Mile" and "Papillon") and whose biggest lesson appears to be that what is to be most feared by African Americans about incarceration is bad acting. Solid C.

A long lost blacksploitation Gem!

[hampton70 · 16 March 1999]

Surprise, surprise blaxpo fans the movie that started off the penitentiary series is available. No, it's not the one with Mr. T (penitentiary II) or that horrible one with the midget. (penintiary III) This is the one with the original too sweet, half dead and seldom seen. Despite the fact this movie is the epitome of low budget, try to find the boom mike in some scenes.

This remains one of my favorite cult films. The cinemetography is pretty good. The fight between Too sweet and Half dead is particularly interesting. The use of the Wide angle lenses to give the viewer a distorted view. And the way some characters address the camera. Look were not talking Citizen Knae here, but it still is interesting.

That's not what impresses me most about this movie. It's the fact it transends the usual blacksploitation stereotypes. They are still there but also there is also a lot of truth within it's characterizations. Seldom seen character is no caricature he's a real. (He plays too sweet's trainer.) I was amazed at how realistic his portrayal of an institutionalized convict was. We really get to understand him and why he does what he does. Another interesting thing about this movie is the character half dead (Badja Djola) was hilarious. (You want some Mr. goodbar) You might remember him from the dozens of movies she's appeared in afterward (a rage in harlem, mississippi burning and other films) I also liked the fact that this was funny (mostly) but it also contained moments of dead seriousness. If you are any kind of fan of blacksploitation movies, or cult movies in general check this one out. If you can find it.

The "Too Sweet" science.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 8 March 2021]

Cult actor Leon Isaac Kennedy here has one of his most notable roles: Martel "Too Sweet" Gordone is a drifter who gets into a fight with two bikers over a prostitute whom they're insulting. One of the bikers dies, and Martel is soon in prison, making enemies out of guys like Jesse Amos (Donovan Womack) and the intense "Half-Dead" Johnson (Badja Djola). It is there that he acquires the "Too Sweet" nickname due to his fondness for candy bars. He learns that he can improve his fortunes by joining the prison boxing team; initially reluctant, he changes his mind and becomes a star.

Although no master thespian, Kennedy does have presence and charisma, and he's surrounded by capable supporting actors. Womack and Djola in particular are memorable villains. The latter has a pretty creepy introductory moment. Also doing good work are Thomas M. Pollard as the likeable, victimized Eugene, and Chuck "Porky" Mitchell, in a good role as a tough but fair prison official. Floyd 'Wildcat' Chatman is a standout as a veteran inmate / trainer who is sure that he couldn't hack it on the outside.

Written, produced and directed by promising young Jamaa Fanaka, while he was still a student at UCLA, "Penitentiary" is a solid entry into the Blaxploitation, prison, and boxing genres. It's refreshingly unsentimental - while it does have some very sober moments, it's also very matter of fact about life behind bars. It does not shy away from the grim reality facing some of these convicts. And, of course, it delivers some genuinely rousing ring action. The extras are so raucous that the viewer can't help but also get into the spirit of things. By the end of the story, the audience may very well also be chanting the name of Too Sweet.

Packaged efficiently by Fanaka, this includes sex, violence, and a bit of humor as well. It became successful enough to earn two sequels, with Kennedy returning for both of them. He was one of the associate producers here.

Seven out of 10.

Incarcerated Heat

[jason-brooks15 · 6/10 · 23 April 2015]

This film is about a wrongly convicted man who must fight for survival, then fights in a boxing tournament held by the warden.

This film is a different take on Afro-American life, not taking the usual route of blaxploitation by showing the harsh realities inside prison. Director Fannaka makes use of limited resources and creates a classic. The fight scene in a cell is well choreographed and gives the viewer a take on what being in the most horrible situation feels like: locked in a cell with a madman and no weapon in sight.

The comedic scenes are good and don't take away from the serious tone of the film. Good performances from unknown (at the time) actors. Watch this one, don't bother viewing the sequels...

Fighting to Survive

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 9 May 2022]

This film begins with a young, black man named "Martel Gordone" (Leon Isaac Kennedy) sleeping on the side of a desert highway when two bikers appear and give him a hard time before eventually riding off. Not long afterward, Martel decides to walk back to the highway and tries to hitchhike in order to continue on his journey. Not long afterward, an attractive woman by the name of "Linda" (Hazel Spears) comes along in a van and picks him up. It is then revealed that Linda is a prostitute who uses a CB radio to find her next customer and her van is where she conducts business. That being said, not long after Linda picks him up, she gets a call that two clients are waiting for her at a nearby diner. Unfortunately, once they both go into the diner, a fight erupts between Martel and the two bikers who had harassed him earlier. Yet, even though Martel was only defending himself, he is unfairly blamed for the death of one of the bikers and subsequently sent to an extremely tough prison where fighting is a routine occurrence. It is also where Martel learns how to box and with this knowledge comes an opportunity for him to gain his freedom. But in order to do that he has to manage to first find a way to survive. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was one of those films I had wanted to see when it first came out but never got around to it until recently. That being said, even though I liked this film for the most part, I have to say that some of the boxing scenes could have been much better if the director (James Fanaka) had focused on them a bit more thoroughly instead of constantly cutting away to another scene developing at the same time. Likewise, I didn't think some of the prison antics were that necessary either. Be that as it may, given the fact that this was a low-budget film, I won't be too critical and have rated it accordingly. Average.

Harsh reality and a blaxploitation Rocky

[DanTheMan2150AD · 6/10 · 15 February 2024]

Raw, sleazy, violent and desperate, Penitentiary pivots between harsh reality and a blaxploitation Rocky. Racism and cynical exploitation aren't the main focus here, instead taking a rather sensitive and careful attitude towards particular subject matters, mainly prison rape. It's all handled with care by Director Jamaa Fanaka who overcomes the low-budget handicap by turning this lack of cinematic style into a strength, bringing you closer to the action. Boasting some solid performances, Penitentiary can be an acquired taste, mixing realism and ridiculousness. Yet, the hard-hitting, intense and often memorable drama is one you can find yourself suckered into very easily.

Way Below Average

[Mike_Yike · 2/10 · 5 March 2017]

I saw Penitentiary when it hit the theaters 37 years ago. I was 28 years old and a flick about convicts in a penitentiary sounded like a good source of two hour entertainment on a Saturday afternoon. It even got decent reviews, as I recall. But the movie had not yet gotten through the first reel when I knew it sucked.

I'm not sure who wrote the script. I can assure you, it wasn't Steven Spielberg. The acting was worse than the script. It ranks right up there as one of the worst movies I actually paid admission to see, and I paid to see Good Times, a clinker of monumental proportions starring Sonny and Cher.

Exploitation with some thought put into it.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 28 March 2024]

Hardly too sweet, but certainly not half dead, this blaxploitation struck me for being a lot different in that there are several characters who really provide a moral among the nudity, barely faked sex scenes, bloody fighting and genuinely ugly morally dead wild animals in human form. Leon Isaac Kennedy ends up in prison on a fake charge, deals with some truly vile inhumanities and comes out a champ, with two different men who surprised me with showing humanity in the unlikeliest of places.

There's Eugene (Thommy Pollard) who goes from being forced sexually by his bully roommate to someone courageous and willing to risk death than face constant humiliation and Hazzika Jackson (Floyd Chatman), the wise old inmate intent on remaining pure, giving a memorable speech equivalent with Burgess Meredith as Mickey in the "Rocky" movies. The evil "Half Dead" (Badja Djola) is a human monster, attempting to rape Kennedy and regretting it, yet seeking revenge.

Certainly, there are many scenes that are only there for shock value, including a few graphic sex scenes in the bathroom during the boxing matches between a male prisoner and a woman prisoner. But this is an exploitation movie after all so that as well as the violence are to be expected. Chuck Mitchell as the prison lieutenant is a far cry from his role as Porky, ironically having played a prison guard the same year on "General Hospital". The acting isn't the greatest but for the most part sincere, and I did enjoy this overall. The real moral of the story, though, is for people who watch this, who might consider committing a crime that this is what they could expect if they're caught.

Fists of fury

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 26 August 2018]

Penitentiary came out in the tail end of the Blaxploitation era. It got a cult following riding on the coat tails of Rocky but set in a prison.

Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) a black man comes to the aid of a prostitute and winds up in prison on some trumped up charges. In prison the warden is organising an illegal boxing contest, the winner gets early parole. Luckily Gordone is handy with his fists which he has to be to fend of the notorious Half Dead his cellmate.

This is a very low budget film and it shows. Some of the acting is amateurish. It mixes genres, a boxing film, a gritty prison drama and it also has farcical humour as well. One prisoner connives to hook up with female prisoners when they show up for a boxing match.

At times the film lulls in its dullness but it contains hard hitting action that also examines institutionalised racism in the justice system. Director Jamaa Fanaka did an amazing achievement with his meagre resources but it is not a great film.

I cannot give this Black-cult classic a standard review?

[Ask-Kirk-Lockhart · 10/10 · 25 July 2007]

When this movie premiered in 1979 it was a sellout at our local $1 Theater in Dallas called the Texas (where Lee Harvey Oswald was caught).It played their several weeks and also at another local Hangout called the Aquarius. I am not sure why it was so popular,but I think it was because it was the Rawest,grittiest,downright Adult movie to deal with the consequences of committing a crime against others. This is a GRindHouse Original.Weak story line,but common. Poor cinematography ,but effective. Prison is not pleasant and this film was not pleasant. Ultra violent ,yet comical...? Love scenes in the Men's room are borderline Porn...I saw the premiere with my grandparents! And oh yes..men get anally raped in Prison (see Boondocks episode) This movie was so...So Baad ...that we Loved it. Ps...I have not seen this movie in 22years. So my opinion could change if I see it again...!

Penitentiary

[btreakle · 5/10 · 14 March 2020]

Sleepy movie, poor acting and low budget. Dont waste your time

Passionate and very intense cinema experience

[pwmoses · 3 June 2000]

I read in an article that "Penitentiary" is one of John Singelton's favorite films. I can see why. It is an film that is kind of like an "acquired taste". It has its own audience. Hard-hitting, intense, and memorable, with some very well done casting, especially bad-man Badja Djola as "Half Dead". The musical score takes great risks that ultimately pay off. There is one part during the terrific fight scene between Too-Sweet and Half-Dead where there is no score, just screeching. Another interesting point, in Penitentiary 2, Ernie Hudson is just as good as Half-Dead's replacement.

"If you don't handle the fools, they handle you."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 13 February 2017]

It didn't occur to me while watching that this was one of the Blaxploitation films of the era, but in hindsight there's no doubt about it. I see it has a lot of fans on this board, though it's not something I would have sought out if it hadn't come across on Turner Classics a while ago. It's more of a prison story than a boxing story, but since it's got both I'll be adding it to my lists of both subjects elsewhere on IMDb. The prison stuff comes across as generally gritty and realistic, but some of the boxers in the story were so bad that it looked like they had to practice being awful in the ring. That guy Magilla (Will Richardson) was a perfect example. And Half-Dead Johnson (Badja Djola) has to be one of the ugliest characters ever to appear on screen, he was absolutely manic when he made his first appearance and upheld his end as a grotesque character throughout. Probably the most unbelievable aspect of the picture had to be a well meaning prison warden (Chuck Mitchell), who completely defied stereotype in the story. It was just one of any number of things that I found hard to wrap my head around as the story unfolded, convincing me that there won't be any need to follow up with any of the sequels.

The Penitentiary Trilogy: Penitentiary

[Captain_Couth · 8/10 · 6 March 2009]

Penitentiary (1979) follows the life of Too Sweet, a young man who's life is has taken a very wrong turn. A very tragic and unlucky event lands the dude in prison. Looking at a long stretch in the jug, Too Sweet looks for any opportunity to get out of the joint. Finally a big break comes along, boxing. But like all good guys, he makes a very nasty enemy in the guise of Half Dead, a cruel sadistic inmate who doesn't take a liking to our young hero. How did Too Sweet get in Prison? Can Too Sweet fight is way out of prison? Why does Half Dead want Too Sweet's head? Who in the hell is Peaches? All your questions will be answered when you watch Penitentiary!

Highly recommended for fans of low budget films.

Most Realistic Prison Film...ever

[Falconeer · 9/10 · 27 January 2017]

You will never see a more realistic portrayal of life in prison, than in this absolutely brilliant film from 1979. Raw, gritty, seedy, violent and desperate; this is the world that Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) is thrown into when he is caught in "the wrong place at the wrong time." In an environment of violent, and sometimes insane men, and no women, the new inmates must prove themselves quickly, or become someone's "boy." Prison politics are explored realistically in this unbelievably entertaining prison tour-de-force, as we get to know some unforgettable characters; 'Half Dead,' the insane alpha monkey, missing half his teeth and half his mind, with a desire to dominate everyone around him. He is the cellmate of Martel "Too Sweet," who must fend off this human tornado in a jaw dropping, claustrophobic fight to the death in a small prison cell. In order for Too Sweet to survive, he joins the prison boxing club, and meets up with 'Seldom Seen,' a white haired old-timer who, after spending 50 plus years inside, has completely given up on the outside world. 'Seldom' becomes his trainer. Too Sweet also befriends Eugene 'Genie' Lawson, a younger "newbie" whose integrity is also threatened, and who must also prove his strength and worth. This boxing club and this prison is filled with some of the most unforgettable people you will ever see. The character development in "Penitentiary" is so strong, that you will feel like you know these guys personally, to the point where you care about their fates. Director Jamaa Fanaka achieves a perfect balance of jaw dropping action/fight sequences, hilarious comedy, drama that is sincere and realistic, and then adds an element of surreal atmosphere that is hard to describe. There is another great prison film that is considered a genre classic; Jonathon Demme's WIP outing "Caged Heat." Well, "Penitentiary" is the "bastard half-brother" of that movie. It is also one of the finest independent films ever made; this is true, renegade film-making. I cannot recommend it enough, to fans of prison films, cult films, art-house or movies in general.

Blaxploitation worth 100 lame contemp. Hollywood "action" films!

[El Fang · 10/10 · 22 August 2000]

Lowlife scum's, trashola conns and pscyhotronics check this one out! A masterpiece of exploitation, PENITENTIARY(1979) is especially worth watching because of it's strange, neo-realism. Often I enjoyed watching wall-hangings or shoes for it's 70s appeal as much as the foreground action! An almost all-unknown cast (that also contributes a lot to the movie's appeal), realistic 1970s African American dialog and backgrounds, realistic and mind-bending scenes of perverse violence and huge doses of humor make this a blast in every department. Very realistic scenes of prison -- including sexual -- life, and the knowledge that this was NOT written by some Hollywood screenwriter (and same-schmuk's idea of "what prison must be like"), along with the near-documentary feel make this a must-see. I've seen 100s so-called Hollywood "action" films in the last few years, most of which I remember nothing about ("Was that the one with Stallone or Bruce Willis?"), and each of which cost 100s of times as much as the unforgettable PENITENTIARY! Note: Don't miss PEN 2 (the debut of Mr. T., and a Rudy Ray Moore cameo, no less); and PEN 3, which many believe to be the best of the three. But, the first will always be may favorite. Oh yeah -- the PLOT involves boxing matches in a corrupt ('natch) prison, but thankfully rarely gets in the way of the fun and action!

Fun Prison Flick

[Michael_Elliott · 2 February 2017]

Penitentiary (1979)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) comes to the rescue of a hooker who is being insulted by a couple white trash bikers. A fight breaks out and before long we see Martel in a prison where he quickly draws the wrong type of attention. The prison Lieutenant (Chuck Mitchell) tells him about a boxing contest, which could help him get out.

PENITENTIARY comes from director Jamaa Fanaka and it's certainly one of the strangest but most entertaining prison movies from the decade. I guess you could say that if ROCKY was on crack cocaine and set inside a prison then you'd have something like this movie. There's no question that there are some truly awful performances and some incredibly campy moments scattered throughout the film but at the same time this here just adds to its rather goofy charm.

What makes the film so memorable are the actual boxing scenes. There are some pretty wild fights here including an incredible one where Martel must fight his cell mate. This sequence has to be one of the longest and wildest fights that you're ever going to see and it certainly keeps you entertained. A lot of times I don't really like these types of exploitation movies lasting that long but I must admit that the 99-minute running time went by rather quickly.

Leon Isaac Kennedy has become a cult figure over the years and while he wasn't the great actor, he at least has a certainly style and persona that leaps off the screen. He certainly keeps you drawn into the movie and adds a lot of fun. Fans of PORKY'S will also enjoy seeing Mitchell here in a good role.

If you're looking for class or high art then PENITENTIARY certainly won't be for you but those who like fun trash then dig in.

Great, underrated prison/boxing flick

[Groverdox · 8/10 · 8 January 2021]

"Penitentiary" is definitely a superior prison/boxing movie. It has a low budget, but like any good low-budget movie, it turns this into a strength, not a drawback. You don't miss what the money could have afforded. The lack of multiple locations, fancy camera angles and stunt-doubles just brings you closer to the action.

The actors are all superior, as is the direction. Fanaka made creative use of close-ups, slow motion, hand held cameras, and all this while still in film school.

The movie is considered "blaxploitation", though I think that great exploitation sub-genre was pretty much over by '79. The movie does have a predominantly African-American cast, but the usual themes of the sub-genre, such as racism and the cynical exploitation of black people by whites, is not really the focus here. The most powerful white guy in the movie, the warden, is even depicted as a good man in the end.

Of all the performances, aside from Kennedy - who carries the movie - the greatest is probably Floyd Chatman as a lifer who has plenty of wisdom but can't face life on the outside. He looks like a black Colonel Sanders, or perhaps a wise koala bear.

The movie also has a sensitive attitude toward one infamous subject - prison rape, which along with everything else, elevates it above simple "prison movie" or "exploitation flick" status.

I say check it out.

A cool blaxploitation prison flick

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 10 September 2009]

Boxer Martel "Too Sweet" Gordone (a fine and likable performance by Leon Isaac Kennedy) gets sent to jail on a trumped-up murder charge. Too Sweet joins the prison boxing team in order to secure an early parole. However, Too Sweet runs afoul of fierce top con Jesse Amos (well played by Donovan Womack) and his deranged flunky Half Dead Johnson (a memorably crazed and over the top portrayal by Badja Djola). Writer/director Jamaa Fanaka delivers a funky, funny, and flavorsome depiction of the harsh reality of life behind bars: deprived of women, surrounded by nothing but men (Fanaka's frank and honest treatment of homosexuality in the big house is especially admirable and impressive), yearning for freedom, and bereft of hope. The fight scenes are extremely brutal and exciting, with the high stakes match between Too Sweet and Amos rating as a surefire savage and gripping highlight. The movie's wickedly off the wall sense of humor qualifies as another major asset (the rowdy lady inmate audience members from a neighboring all-female prison are positively hilarious!). The inmates are a colorful and entertaining bunch. The acting is pretty raw, yet sincere and effective, with stand-out contributions by Floyd Chatman as Too Sweet's wise, tough elderly trainer Hezzikia "Seldom Seen" Jackson, Thommy Pollard as the proud Eugene T. Lawson, Hazel Spears as sassy'n'sultry hooker Linda, Chuck Mitchell as the no-nonsense Lieutenant Arnsworth, and Gloria Delaney as the lusty Peaches. Marty Ollstein's gritty cinematography gives the picture an appropriately grainy and unpolished look and makes inspired use of hand-held camera during the rough'n'tumble boxing matches. The groovy score by William Anderson and Frankie Gaye also does the right-on pulsating trick. As an added saucy plus, we even get a few incredibly raunchy sex scenes set in the prison bathroom (!). A solid and satisfying outing.

A clinker about the clink.

[mrdaytonoh · 17 November 2000]

I saw this film with a pal over twenty years ago at the theater, first-run. I sat there amazed at how wincingly terrible it was from start to finish. After about forty-five minutes my friend (who was a drama student at the time) wanted desperately to leave the theater. I refused, explaining that in the years to come we would both look back at this film as a standard for cinema awfulness. I was right.