Director: Rod Lurie
Starring: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Burton, Delroy Lindo, Clifton Collins Jr., Frank Military, Paul Calderon

- Reviewed by Tim

Tagline: No castle can have two kings.

I'm thinking that there aren't that many movies out there that are predictable from the onset that are as enjoyable as this one. Even though the complete plot is given to you within the first few moments, you still enjoy the journey that is taken on screen.

We meet General Irwin (Robert Redford), a well-respected and heralded war hero, who has been sentenced to 10 years in a maximum-security military prison after being court-martialed and pleading guilty to an unnamed crime. At the beginning, he wants to keep to himself and do his time so that he can just go home. This of course, isn't quite what's going to happen. After hearing about and seeing first-hand the heavy-handed tactics of the prison's warden, Colonel Winters (James Gandolfini), Irwin's attitude changes. 

After gaining the trust of the inmates, Irwin sets off to mobilize the population in an attempt to oust Winters from his position. As inmates, the prisoners do not have rank or any privileges of their former station; they are merely addressed as prisoners. But this doesn't stop the inmates from falling into old military habits—with a twist. I won't say too much, but its quite interesting to see how the inmates regroup and form the same type of structure as you would normally see in the military.

Aiding Winters is Lt. Peretz (Steve Burton), who seems to be quite hesitant in carrying out Winters' orders, but does it out of duty. In addition to Burton, the supporting cast is made up of some really good actors. Mark Ruffalo plays the prison's resident bookie and all-around weasel-type; Clifton Collins plays a mentally challenged inmate who, seemingly, has more power than he knows; and Delroy Lindo plays a general that would rather get Irwin out of prison on a bogus medical release than let him sit in prison for a decade. All have their moments….

The movie itself is not going to win any awards, but much like Vertical Limit, you'll be able to turn off the brain and watch some action and explosions. It will definitely keep you entertained for the 2 hours and 11 minutes of running time. 

Take a chance. What have you got to lose?

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