I saw a previous documentary about Attica that was pretty good; this one is far more brutal.
This film goes over the events as if it's a daily newsreel, with every detail about each day's events and the negotiations. I have to admit that part began to get a bit tedious. The footage from the police assault on the prison includes many photos of blood-drenched bodies and the various kinds of brutalization and torture that were inflicted on the inmates AFTER the authorities gained control of the prison. Throughout, the film intersperses interviews with former inmates, observers, children and widows of the guards, and one former National Guardsman.
It's a difficult but necessary film. I am puzzled by a couple of reviews on this site claiming it's "one-sided." I don't know what those people are talking about. The event was a mass murder by the government. The fact no one from the government was ever prosecuted is a stain on our country. Money from a lawsuit isn't enough.
This film goes over the events as if it's a daily newsreel, with every detail about each day's events and the negotiations. I have to admit that part began to get a bit tedious. The footage from the police assault on the prison includes many photos of blood-drenched bodies and the various kinds of brutalization and torture that were inflicted on the inmates AFTER the authorities gained control of the prison. Throughout, the film intersperses interviews with former inmates, observers, children and widows of the guards, and one former National Guardsman.
It's a difficult but necessary film. I am puzzled by a couple of reviews on this site claiming it's "one-sided." I don't know what those people are talking about. The event was a mass murder by the government. The fact no one from the government was ever prosecuted is a stain on our country. Money from a lawsuit isn't enough.