Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Penitentiary Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 28, 2018

Instead of taking the usual exploitation route, writer/director Jamaa Fanaka attempts something slightly different with 1979’s “Penitentiary,” using his screen time to orchestrate sporting and tough guy excitement and approach some interesting social and judicial problems, helping the feature achieve a bit more dramatic texture than the average slug-fest. “Penitentiary” has many issues with tone, taste, and fight choreography, but it’s also commanding when it needs to be, with Fanaka conjuring interesting characters and a vividly hostile setting, getting the boxing picture all worked up when necessary to keep viewers interested in the fates of hard men locked inside a concrete cage.

A drifter taking a chance on a ride with Linda (Hazel Spears), Martel (Leon Isaac Kennedy) is challenged when he discovers she’s a prostitute, and one roughed up by two clients she’s pulled off the interstate to meet. A fight breaks out, leaving behind dead bodies and an unconscious Martel, who’s sent to prison for the crimes, forced to join the inmates inside a charged environment of violence and rape. While making a nemesis out of Jesse (Donovan Womack), Martel finds power in the prison boxing system, with winners granted the possibility of an early parole. Befriending Eugene (Thommy Pollard), a timid inmate trying to toughen up, and learning the ins and outs of fighting from his cellmate, Seldom Seen (Floyd Chatman), Martel offers a show of force in the ring that delights Lieutenant Arnsworth (Chuck Mitchell), but enrages his enemies, keeping the fight active as the newcomer tries to survive his sentence.

Martel is an enigmatic character, with little known about his life besides his ability to defend himself. He’s a cowboy in Fanaka’s screenplay, experiencing a cruel response to attempted valor, ending up in prison after defending a hooker from two vicious Johns, suddenly stuffed inside a hellhole populated with the insane and the insatiable, finding most cell block events in the movie somehow tied to sexual assault, which offers the enemies the only power they can claim. Of course, the prison isn’t a complete dead zone, with Fanaka’s version of an exercise yard including a live band and choreographed dancing, but for the purposes of the “Penitentiary” story, Martel (who earns the nickname “Too Sweet” for his chocolate addiction) has reached rock bottom, with his boxing his only hope for an early parole.

Fanaka generates a proper horror show for Martel, pitting him against Half Dead as the two brawl for quite some time inside their cell. The rest of the inmates are a motley crew of wild personalities, most broken beyond repair, but the script aims to highlight a community vibe, giving the rejects of society a home of their own, with Seldom Seen in the Red Redding role as the old timer who doesn’t want to return to a world he no longer understands. “Penitentiary” isn’t a grand statement on the penal system, but asides are there for study, helping to break up the barbarity with some food for thought. And if that’s not your thing, Fanaka isn’t one to turn down opportunities for exploitation, offering non-sequitur sex scenes between a male and visiting female inmate (inside a bathroom) that have nothing to do with the story, involving two strangers simply here to supply some sellable skin for the wide audience.

Penitentiary Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Penitentiary" arrives on Blu-ray with a "Newly scanned and restored in 4K" AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Offered on multiple home video formats over the years, the movie finds visual potency in HD, with the gritty look of the effort handled well by Vinegar Syndrome. Detail is strong overall, reaching far into the original cinematography to find commanding facial particulars and textured prison environments, while boxing matches deliver a full sense of audience participation and bodily harm. Colors are secure, offering a pleasingly colder palette to replicate the concrete fortress of the setting, but period costuming offers bolder hues, along with outdoor greenery. Skintones are natural. Grain is fine and filmic. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in surprisingly good shape, with one major speckle storm and some brief chemical damage.

Penitentiary Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA track deals more directly with age-related issues, finding performances easy to follow but troubled by sibilance issues, with crisper highs creating slightly uncomfortable dialogue exchanges. Hiss also factors into the listening event. Music carries with some weight and instrumentation, adding funk atmosphere. Sound effects are direct, with blunt body blows and ringing metal weapons. Crowd activity is chaotic, but intentionally so.

Penitentiary Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Jamaa Fanaka.

• Commentary #2 features second assistant director Sergio Mims.

• Interview (40:14, HD) with Leon Isaac Kennedy is a passionate look back at the creative highlights of the "Penitentiary" shoot, with the actor launching into an anti-Blaxploitation rant before digging into the film. Kennedy recounts his early years as a DJ, working with Motown in Detroit before making his move to Los Angeles, with hopes to make it as an actor. With Fanaka, Kennedy found a collaborator who took a chance on the young man, replacing Glynn Turman as Martel, soon offering script suggestions to develop the part. Stunt concerns are highlighted and co-stars are recalled, and location blues are vividly detailed, with the freezing jail making comfort difficult for the shirtless star. Kennedy explores his concern for the feature's marketplace chances, discussing his self-financed promotional tour and the movie's eventual release, creating an enduring legacy for the actor, who recounts a celebrity run-in with Eddie Murphy in the 1980s, with the comedian (and his brother, Charlie) excitedly quoting lines.

• Interview (21:37, HD) with cinematographer Marty Ollstein is an extremely dry overview of his artistic interests and work on "Penitentiary," teaming up with Fanaka during their years at UCLA. Ollstein covers visual choices and creative input, working with Fanaka to shape the look and feel of the picture. He also explores the feature's cult appeal, with people still tickled by his association with the film.

• Interview (28:14, HD) with producer Alicia Dhanifu is curious, as she spends the first half of the chat celebrating her time with Fanaka, discussing their initial connection at UCLA and her eventual work on "Penitentiary," contributing to the writing and thespian training for the non-actors. Suddenly, Dhanifu switches course and shares Fanaka's post-"Penitentiary" behavior, where he attempted to diminish her role in the movie's success, with the producer electing not to push back against overwhelming sexism. There's likely more to the story than what's presented here, but Dhanifu is as candid as she's comfortable with.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (4:15, SD) is included.

Penitentiary Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The boxing matches aren't technically advanced, showcasing a feral style that remains true to the situation inside the prison. Martel's domination in the ring isn't as big a deal to the story as its introduction suggests, with Fanaka making a bruiser out of Too Sweet, but offers more time with his psychological scars and efforts of intimidation, keeping the pugilism slightly repetitive. "Penitentiary" is entertaining, and hits most of the right buttons when it comes to B-movie engagement. It's not refined work from Fanaka, but he has a vivid setting and a commanding star in Kennedy, getting to the grit of threat and revenge quickly.