Penitentiary with Leon Isaac Kennedy: DVD Cover

    Penitentiary Director: Jamaa Fanaka Cast: Leon Isaac Kennedy, Thommy Pollard, Hazel Spears, Badja Djola

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    • DVD Release Date: 01/24/2006
    • Original Release: 1979
    • Rating: Rated R
    • Sales Rank: 30,376

    Viewer Rating: (1 ratings)

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    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Scenes
    • Customer Reviews
    • Cast & Crew
    • Full Product Details

    Scenes

    Features

    Commentary from legendary writer/director Jamaa Fanaka

    Full Product Details

    Scene Index

    Disc #1 -- Penitentiary
    1. Beaver Seven [5:30]
    2. On the Inside [15:05]
    3. Riding the Buster [11:06]
    4. Five Fingers [3:16]
    5. Too Sweet Signs Up [8:27]
    6. Fight Night in Lingerie [7:46]
    7. Second Round [16:07]
    8. Sweet vs. Magilla [5:26]
    9. 1st Connubial Visit [7:18]
    10. Chump Dies Tonight [5:57]
    11. Sweet vs. Amos [5:51]
    12. Free Man [7:09]

    Scene Index

    Editorial Reviews

    An innocent man must fight to survive when he's wrongfully imprisoned in this gritty urban drama. Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy), called Too Sweet by his friends because he loves candy, is hitchhiking through the California desert when he's picked up by Linda (Hazel Spears), a prostitute. When Too Sweet and Linda stop at a roadside diner, they're harassed by a pack of bikers; a fist-fight breaks out, and one of the bikers winds up dead. Too Sweet is charged with murder, and convicted despite his innocence; he's shipped off to a run-down prison where Jesse Amos (Donovan Womack), one of the prisoners, lords it over the other inmates. Too Sweet ends up sharing a cell with Half Dead (Badja Djola), a violent lunatic who is one of Jesse's musclemen. Too Sweet refuses to buckle under to the intimidation dished out by Half Dead and his cronies, even after seeing how they've "turned out" Eugene (Thommy Pollard), another new fish who has become Jesse's sexual slave. Forced to defend himself even though he hates violence, Too Sweet displays a genuine talent for fighting, and is persuaded to take part in the prison boxing tournament, where he could win a night with a woman or even his freedom. However, Too Sweet sees the deck may be stacked against him when he finds out his opponent is the monstrous Half Dead. Shot when writer and director Jamaa Fanaka was still a student at UCLA, Penitentiary was the first starring vehicle for former disc jockey and future evangelist Leon Isaac Kennedy. Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

    Customer Reviews

    • Viewer Rating:
    • Ratings: 1Reviews: 1

    Penitentiaryby Anonymous

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    October 09, 2006: This film was really good.After watching this I found the fight between Too sweet and Half dead particularly interesting. Through out this film you will also find some of the characters to be animated with there jail house humor and realism through others such as Too Sweet’s trainer. The cinematography wasn’t bad also. The use of the wide angle lenses to give the viewer a distorted view was impressive and the way some characters address the camera was interesting and strange at the same time. Some people say that part two is even funnier and I might give it a try later in the future. This exploitation is a masterpiece, PENITENTIARY (1979) is especially worth watching because of its strange, neo-realism. 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. It’s a must-see if you’re a fan of this genre and one to check out.