Civil Brand

Actually, I thought this B-film was somewhat of a throwback to the Black expolitation era of the 70s with Lisa Raye as a modern-day Pam Grier. The setting takes place in a female prison with disenchanted convicts feeling "exploited" or enslaved by an opportunistic warden who uses their labor to produce clothes for merchants. However, when you consider the fact that prisoners are wrongdoers who are in jail to pay their debt to society, it's rather hard to sympathize with their "plight" in this film.

The warden and captain of the guards are the bad guys of the movie, but their demeanors are too iniquitous. So much so that the film becomes predictable and you know what will inevitably happen.

The casting could have been better. Mos Def portrays a law student who works as a part-time corrections guard in the prison. However, his dense mentality makes this portrayal very unconvincing.

Perhaps the best part of the movie--at least for guys--are the scenes in which voluptuous Lisa Raye and N'Bushe Wright appear barely clothed in the "hole." In spite of anything else, it's enough entertainment to merit the movie's viewing! To any of the ladies out there who are reading this, yeah, I know what you're thinking. But c'mon, you'd get your jollies too if you were to see LL Cool J in a movie bearing his best!