Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

showtrmp This prison drama was recently described on the message boards as "tragedy porn", and I can't think of a more appropriate term. No one in "Release" suggests a human being; all of them are sociological constructs designed for yet another demonstration of the waste and meaninglessness of life, a la Clint Eastwood. This is the kind of movie in which as soon as you see the female warden (Dymphna Skehill, whose performance consists of chewing her tongue while keeping her lips clamped together) proudly hang a framed certification on the wall, you know it's going to be smashed. (Authority is a sham!) And, topping even that, an inmate can't just be stabbed--he has to be stabbed with a sharpened crucifix! (Religion is all hypocrisy!). And so on, and so on. The story concerns a priest, Father Gillie (Daniel Brockleback) who has been jailed for ambiguous reasons and is suspected by the other inmates of pedophilia, which sets off a near-psychotic reaction in his teenage roommate (Wayne Vigo), a victim of abuse and (possibly) rape. Gillie is persecuted by almost the entire prison, led by Max (Bernie Hodges), and his only solace comes in a love affair with one of the guards (Gerry Summers, who is very appealing but seems too sensitive to have passed the screening process). Surprisingly, this affair is the element that comes off most believably, mostly due to the personal charm and naturalness of Brockleback and Summers. But with this setup, there's really nowhere to go but down, and everyone works very hard to make all the ghastly events that follow seem "inevitable"and "tragic". Unfortunately, we're given far too much time to think about all the implausibilities--such as why everyone listens to Max in the first place? We're told he's the unofficial leader of the prison, but we never feel it, especially since Hodges is the kind of actor who tries to seem "sinister" by whispering all his lines. And we're just supposed to accept that Vigo is "unstable", which explains why he's so easily manipulated into precipitating the final crisis.Why is it that the movies that strive the most to be "gritty" and "realistic" come off as the most contrived? Wake up, filmmakers--"life is unfair" is not a daring or original message, and it won't come as a big surprise to the majority of moviegoers. When someone works this hard to pound us over the head with bitter truths, the glossiest old 1940s MGM musical seems a model of naturalism by comparison.

dacha68 Possible spoiler alert.I must say that I am not always moved by a movie. I watch, I move on. Not so with this movie. I became so interested, so wrapped up, so invested in the characters and story that when the ending came and it was not what I was hoping for I was literally moved to frustration. This movie did what a good movie does. It got you wrapped up in the story and the characters and led you on an emotional ride. I come from an island where homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle is still a crime and punishable. Parts of this story resonated with me because I was told the exact same thing that the priest in the movie told the main character. This is a movie well worth seeing. All I can say is "Well done, well done"!

Armand Cruel discussion. About faith, love and shadows of gestures. About sacrifice and its root. About silence as cage. It is a beautiful gray movie. Delicate as burnt paper. Bit as dust of cinnamon. Strange as a walk behind present. Story of a priest and his fake errors. A murder and life in prison. A love story. Silhouette of devil. And the punishment . A movie like melted lead. Few crumbs of Dostoievski, some drops from old British film, air from cold spaces of memory, game of a world. It is only a challenge. So, it is difficult to say if it is a good film, boring or mediocre. It is a picture. Bitter, salty, sour, with taste of gall.Nothing is alright. Every character - a broken doll. It is not a drama. Only a search. And a way without destination.

jpcobb315 Although I found the plot a bit confusing and disorienting at first -- which was intentional I am sure -- with 1 or 2 minor exceptions the actors gave good solid performances. The lighting and camera work was interesting, sometimes non-conventional, but the over-all visual effect was well done. Although apparently a modest-budget film, the final production values seemed to be high quality. While any modest-budget film could be improved if a mega-budget had been available, this film does not seem to suffer from simple settings -- attention to detail is more important than lavish sets. It is an enjoyable drama, although the violence and subject matter may be inappropriate for younger audiences and highly sensitive people. Excellent performances by the leading actors: Daniel Brocklebank and Gary Summers!I was surprised to see a review by someone who only watched the first third of the movie -- that is hardly giving any movie a fair chance.