Dog Pound

Plot synopsis:
Butch, Davis and Angel are teenagers who have been sentenced to Enola Vale juvenile detention center in Montana. The focus is on Butch, who has been imprisoned for attacking and blinding a correctional officer.
Goodyear, a tough but fair officer, urges the new inmates to follow the rules and quietly serve their time so they can earn a second chance on the outside. At first Butch attempts to conform to the rules, but soon he and his friends are attacked by the chief bully Banks and his thugs, Eckersley and Looney.
Refusing to reveal the names of his attackers, Butch is sent to solitary confinement. Once out, he immediately exacts revenge on Banks, Eckersley, and Looney. Butch saves the worst for Banks, who is savagely beaten. The beatings establish his rank among the inmates and offers temporary protection to his friends, Davis and Angel.
During a routine painting job, Angel and Goodyear get into a physical altercation; Angel is thrown against a wall by Goodyear and dies instantly. Butch, who was a witness to the altercation, is placed in solitary confinement while an investigation takes place.
Without Butch's protection, Davis is raped by Looney and Eckersley. Davis tries to contact his mother during the night, but an officer denies his request, telling him he'll have to wait until morning. Feeling helpless, Davis goes back to his bunk, eventually committing suicide by slitting his wrists.
The deaths of both Angel and Davis result in their dormitory going on a hunger strike during breakfast. After a stare-down in the cafeteria, Butch loses control and instigates a riot. The detention officers are overwhelmed and return to the cafeteria in riot gear, using tear gas and plastic bullets in an attempt to end the riot. During the riot, Butch tries to escape the building, but is caught by the prison officers moments later.

Tags: pornographic, violence

Review:
I have to admit, that I have not seen "Scum" yet, which this movie is based on (or a Remake according to IMDb), but after seeing this, I have to go out and rent that one.The characters on display here might feel a bit too distant and not everyone will be able to find a character he can entirely sympathize with, but that's what made it so intriguing to me.
It's raw and sometimes feels like a documentary (though it obviously isn't).Very good acting and a story that flows from start to finish, with no (visible) flaw in the storytelling.
Alan Clarke made the violent and barbaric movie Scum 31 years ago and there have been various attempts with smiler movies since, all trying to become the daddy of juvenile delinquent dramas, from Sean Penn in Bad Boys to Larry Clarke's Kids.
This attempt, albeit billed as 'inspired' by scum, is inherently a remake with three miscreants sent to a juvenile facility in Montana, with no chance of any hope of reform, forced into a system of sheer brutality forcing Butch (Adam Butcher) to go on the rampage.
And though Alan Clarke's original film still has the edge, this perhaps has more relevance for a new generation of cinema goers which cleverly used real ex prisoner instead of conventionally well know actors, helping in part to set a more real and gritty tone.
It is rather the crude, raw scenes that are sought out, actors with faces that tell a story, a fluid motion from scene to scene without all the pretentious cinematic effects (symbols, metaphors, angles, music etc...).Like I said, straight to the point.And where this movie might lack in depth, it solidifies the viewers' expectations all through the one channel of ADRENALINE.
Perhaps a rushed scene or two - a little more footage or info in the end, that culminating to the point of the viewer looking back and asking himself how this movie stormed past his eyes so fast, in the method of a one-dimensional scene-after-scene procedure.This film is genuinely "lived".
It stars Adam Butcher, Shane Kippel, Mateo Morales, Taylor Poulin, Dewshane Williams, Lawrence Bayne and Trent McMullen.Young offenders Butch (Butcher), Angel (Morales) & Davis (Kippel) are sent to the Enola Vale correctional facility and find that bullying, drugs and abuse are the order of the day.To clear things up, since there seems to be a lot of confusion on internet forums, Dog Pound is to all intents and purposes a remake of Alan Clarke's seminal British Borstal shocker, Scum (1977/79).
What should be noted is that Chapiron hasn't hid from this fact, he didn't make the movie thinking nobody would notice, he actively acknowledged his worship of Clarke's film, making Dog Pound very much the ultimate American homage.
Claims of it being a rip-off etc are way off the mark, it's a remake and nobody has denied this.Much like the original British version, Dog Pound is brutal, upsetting and has a loud booming voice.
The director follows Clarke's template by keeping it grimy and raw, and by shooting it in semi-documentary style and using rookie actors and real life ex-offenders in the cast, Chapiron has gone, and gotten, gritty realism.
The recreation of a young offenders facility is well researched, with laid bare dormitories and depressing corridors, while the cast, particularly a terrific coiled spring Butcher, can't be faulted for excellent serving up of the material to hand.Minor problems do exist, familiarity of genre is always an issue, and here for anyone who has seen either of the Scum movies, there is no surprise factor, it does feel a little old hat.
Very well made and still it has something to say, in that the cycle of violence continues inside, that juvenile institutions are still questionable tools for rehab, problems are there and Dog Pound ferociously makes its point.
Dog Pound had a huge effect on me unlike most films that have come out  in the past couple months.
A movie like "Dog Pound" has a lot of peers.
Raw. Although i did not yet see "Scum" - but will see as soon as i can - i think it's perfectly acceptable a remake (still not sure that it's a remake) after several decades.The thematic of life in a prison or juvenile delinquency is not new.
In various aspects, Dog Pound fulfills with its purpose: bringing us a raw and intense look to a "juvenile detention center", supposedly dedicated to the juvenile delinquent's rehabilitation, when it is in fact a sadistic and brutal environment which stimulates the cruelty, the intolerance and the violence as the solution to every problem.
I have to say that Dog Pound kept me interested; however, its story is almost non-existent, and it's reduced to a series of vignettes which follows the experience of three young interns of a recent entry.The main problem from Dog Pound is that it doesn't provide too much to the "prison cinema".
If director Kim Chapiron had selected 15 or 16-year-old actors, Dog Pound would have been more shocking and subversive.
Unfortunateley, he let that chance go.In conclusion, Dog Pound entertained me; it brings an interesting message; the performances are solid; and Chapiron's direction is agile and efficient, with the emphasis on the clarity and free of stylish distractions.
*Note I did not see the original 1979 french Film "Scum" by Alan ClarkeDog Pound follows three teenagers as they are incarcerated into the Enola Vale correctional facility.
In between the violence are openings into the vulnerable sides of some of the characters but those are small carrots in a mostly dreary cage of concrete and metal.Violence like the kind found in Dog Pound comes from a extremely raw place.
However, "Dog Pound" is really shocking when it comes to the extent of the similarities to "Scum (1979)", directed by Alan Clarke.I think the director Kim Chapiron should have credited the script to Roy Minton (Scum's writer), not to himself.
It is a good movie, but quite embarrassing that it is so similar to "Scum (1979)", directed by Alan Clarke.
I wish luck to this young French director Kim Chapiron, but he needs to think twice before trying to hide that it was not him who wrote the script of a film he is directing.
"Dog Pound" a MUST WATCH movie..
A mean prison thriller that goes for the jugular throughout, the Canadian film DOG POUND is in actual fact a remake of the British borstal classic SCUM from 1979.
While it's not as powerful or harrowing as that film, nevertheless it packs a punch in its harsh depiction of bullying and brutality within prison confines.The prison in this film is a juvenile one and the movie is populated by new and unfamiliar faces, but don't let that put you off, because DOG POUND turns out to be a highly effective movie in its own right.
The acting is up and down and probably the weakest part of the production, but that matters not when the direction is strong and the writing compelling.DOG POUND is a slow paced film for the most part and yet it's alive with simmering tension as character relationships develop and things move towards some scenes of violence which are devastating in their depiction.
Some of the sub-plots are distinctly underwhelming (with the fate of one particular character not a patch on his counterpart in SCUM) but others hit home with precision force, making this a film I really got into..
Excellent movie for sure a lot of drama happening a lot of pain in their eyes this film is absolute blockbuster.THE ACTING WAS PERFECT.You must watch this movie i really enjoyed it and i am happy that i found this movie.The only bad thing for me was the bad ending maybe they could do a lot of bad ending or when you end a movie like that you need to make a second PART for sure :D.
If you've seen the awesome Alan Clarke film Scum (1979), don't bother watching Dog Pound, you'll realise fairly early on that you already know what's going to happen.
Perhaps not on the same scale as say U571, but galling none the less.Whilst I'm sure that this film does have it's uses (assisting insomniacs for example, or perhaps the case could be used to replace a broken one from a good film), there's just so much more you could do with an hour and a half of your life than watching a cheap rip off.For those of you who haven't seen or got a copy of Scum and do have a copy of Dog Pound, please don't hesitate to incinerate and dispose of it before rushing to the shops to buy the real thing..
Short movie and each scene inflicted emotions and thoughts through me.For the people who have never seen Scum (as myself), it was entirely enjoyable because of that.
I would not feel so because I did not see Scum so I enjoyed all of Dog Pound.This film would not have been what it was without Mr. Butcher (Adam Butcher aka Butch).
Dog Pound features three primary inmates and their empty routines at a facility for troubled teenagers: I must say this is definitely a must-watch film.
The actors' portrayal of each character was crucial in making the movie breath-taking and emotional and, luckily, they were successful.The horrors that each young adult endures is sickening, yet entertaining in which they are excellent actors for the roles portrayed.
I think for a younger audience, watching this first then Scum would sway them towards a Dog Pound vote.
Luckliy Adam Butcher (playing Butch) fills the with a cracking portrayal.At the end of a film I always ask myself.
What follows is a transitional phase within the prison between the three kids who basically run things and the newcomer, Butch, who is provoked into violently assuming the leadership role.There are subplots as well featuring some of the other inmates and the guards.
Goodyear is the bitter C.O., whose home life is being complicated by his job.This film is supposed to be a commentary on the rehabilitation system, much like the original was.
It's like they touch on the lives of the characters but instead of making that the core of the film they try to do both but don't succeed.
It's tweaked some things and added some additional plot lines but anyone who has seen Scum will know exactly what happens all the way to the ending.
Scum on the other hand played out almost like a pseudo documentary and was very washed out and gritty.Several scenes from the original have been altered, some for the better and some for the worse.
Dog Pound is just a prison movie.
The story is solid, the acting is excellent (Adam Butcher as Butch is mesmerizing) and unlike Scum which had a notable lack of music, the score for this film is quite good and used appropriately.
Visceral, brutal, nihilistic film-making that feels authentic, and is (half the cast was culled from juvie centers around the U.S., and their slang found its way into the script).
While the acting isn't dreadful, and the film is entertaining, I don't think I've ever seen a movie so directly copied from another film.
Did the writer/director really think no one has seen the 1979 British film "Scum".
The entire story line is stolen from this film, the feel of the film, the grittiness, the bullies, the new boy taking control of the prison from the bullies, the rape, the deaths, and to the final scene in the canteen which was so obviously stolen from the original film it beggars belief.Do yourself a favour and watch the British film with Ray Winstone, "Scum" is the title...a far superior film, and at the very least original...shame on the writer/director of this film!
Having just finished watching this film "Dog Pound", it was clear to me right from the start the similarities to the UK film, "Scum", and were confirmed when the rape scene was shown, and the aftermath shortly after with the raped guy killing himself after repeatedly trying to call for help via the internal alarm messaging system.All in all though, even though this is clearly copying "Scum", its not too bad of a copy, although it doesn't pack the dirty punch in which Scum brought to the table.Differences from Scum in Dog Pound..ScumPool Balls in sock Rape scene in greenhouse Suicide in isolated cell Dog poundLarge steel drinking mug Rape scene in laundry room Suicide in DormThere were many other similarities, but I think I have revealed more than enough spoilers for now, but one thing I would say, is even if you have read my review, still watch this film, and the characters/actors do a very good job with their roles..
" Well just when you thought it was safe to go back to the DVD store where you rented American remakes of GET CARTER , etc along comes yet another remake of a classic British movie based on Alan Clark's brutal and bleak borstal British realist drama SCUM One thing that strikes you about the differences between the two films is the ironic differences in culture between Britain and America .
SCUM seems rather dated in that it's just too bleak where as DOG POUND fails because it's a little bit too nice !!!!!!
SCUM gets off to a brutal start with Carling being assaulted by two of the screws who are portrayed in a cruel manner with perhaps the worst type of cruelty being an officer who witnesses the gang rape of Davis which he turns a blind eye to .
. Likewise Davis is allowed to commit suicide in a crowded dorm by bleeding to death which isn't impossible but unlikely compared to the scene in the original Chapirion also misses the point that Clark's original was the archtypal realist film with no incidental music and subplots that disappear .
DOG POUND will appeal to anyone with an interest in films set in prisons but if you've seen the original source material it is lacking whilst ironically throws a spanner in the works when it goes its own way.
Along with Shane Kippel and Mateo Morales, as the main delinquents, the film displayed the violence and brutality of the system.
Right from the start of the film, or "yaaaah, movie" as the yanks say, you know the whole film is going to be $hit, what with the over acted yelling involving that miserable looking idiot and the screw.I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but the whole flow and style of the film was cheesy, two dimensional and unrealistic.The dialog is laughable, the main screw walks round with a cup of tea/coffee most of the time.Every main scene from Scum is ripped of in Dogpound.
Dog Pound to Scum is like alligator to crocodile..
From what I have read Dog Pound is a film influenced by the British film Scum and is not a remake but if the truth be told it is almost exactly the same.
Even some re-makes of other film's are not as close as these two film's are and because I seen Scum first and thought it was brilliant, Dog Pound has a lot to live up to.
Not a lot more I want to say about this film really, it is no where near the level of Scum and having said that I would recommend that film but not Dog Pound.
Dog Pound 6.5 out of 10, Scum 9.5 out of 10..
Dog Pound (2010): Dir: Kim Chapiron / Cast: Adam Butcher, Shane Kippel, Mateo Morales, Lawrence Bayne, Slim Twig: Disturbing drama about human imprisonment, or in this case, juvenile prison.
Adam Butcher plays a seventeen year old sentenced after brutally retaliating against an abusive corrections officer.
What I got from this movie is not that Butch, his friends and the majority of the inmates are the bad guys but that the crooked and abusive officers and inmate bullies are.
I was hoping that the movie would end with Butch making Officer Goodyear and all the other crooked officers answer for their crimes and that he would escape.
If you're into very realistic movies(not unrealistic stunts and plots that can only happen in Hollywood movies), you will surely like this one because it almost makes you believe that this was based on a true story because its events are not over the top or cliché situations where the prisoner escapes in a cool unimaginable way.
Many people that say this movie lacks plot only say so because they are accustomed to always watching movies that present summaries of the character's life with an uncommon and unrealistic ending, such as that of prison break(an awesome TV show, I recommend it ;)).
The idea is that young people will reform in those institutions, when the reality is they probably come out worse off than when they went in, which is the message one gets after watching this violent account of youth deprived of freedom.The prison genre has been done better before, but to his credit, Kim Chapiron has gathered a good cast, especially with the happy selection of Adam Butcher in the leading role, to give life to this drama.
"Dog Pound" keeps reminding a lot of the contributors to this forum of Alan Clarke's much better "Scum", a film in which the great Ray Winstone was the absolute star..
Nonetheless a good movie which becomes rather cliché in the end,sudden death of two of the teens comes out from no-where.
The problems starts in the 2nd half when movie becomes rather more cliché, when Adam Butcher Aka. Butch takes over the prison after beating up the bullying teens.
Adam Butcher as Butch is really good in Dog Pound, he doesn't have to say much and with his eyes and face he showed all the emotions.
I haven't seen Scum yet, but I definitely willI RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE!!!