Prison (Harlin, 1988) DVD, 1988

Creedmore Prison, 1956. Prison guard Ethan Sharpe (Lane Smith) stands silently by as inmate Charlie Forsythe is executed for a murder he and Ethan both know he didn’t commit. 30 years later and the long abandoned prison is re-opened, with Sharpe returning as the new warden. However, as the doors are unsealed once more, so the violent spectre of Charlie Forsythe is set free, determined to take its revenge, not just on Warden Sharpe but on anyone who stands in its way. Only inmate Connie Burke (Viggo Mortensen) and penologist Katherine Walker (Chelsea Field) have the courage to unearth the warden’s terrible secret in the hope that this might save the rest of the prison’s inmates… A UK premiere for this classic 80s movie starring Viggo Mortensen in a very early film appearance.

How many more early Bergman classics is Tartan going to make available? This company is doing an inestimable service to lovers of European art cinema – and none of the... more >

How many more early Bergman classics is Tartan going to make available? This company is doing an inestimable service to lovers of European art cinema – and none of these early Bergman movies is less than interesting, even if few attain the mastery of his later work. What a shame that Bergman’s later masterpiece Sawdust and Tinsel/The Naked Night remains a no-show on DVD. < less

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