Against the Wall (1994 film)
| Against the Wall | |
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| Directed by | John Frankenheimer |
| Produced by | Steven McGlothen |
| Written by | Ron Hutchinson |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gary Chang |
| Distributed by | HBO Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5.8 million |
Against the Wall is a 1994 made-for-television drama film directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kyle MacLachlan. The movie aired on HBO on March 26, 1994 and won an Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a mini-series or a special.
The docudrama is a partially fictionalized account of the four-day Attica Prison riot in 1971 at the Attica Correctional Facility, where prisoners took over much of state prison to protest inhumane conditions. The movie is focused on rookie prison guard Michael Smith (Kyle Maclachlan) and inmate Jamaal X (Samuel L. Jackson) who develop a wary friendship with each other. It is largely told through Smith, who was shot four times, and based on Smith's testimony. Jamaal X is based on several inmates, including the inmate Smith credits with saving his life.Clarence Williams III plays the inmate Chaka, one of the more ruthless prisoners who does not participate in the riot for honorable reasons.
The film opens with a montage of news footage from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the assassination of Robert Kennedy, students killed at the Kent State shootings and the Watts riots. The movie then shows the quiet streets of Attica, New York and a 22 year old Smith in a barber shop getting his long hair cut. Smith is an expectant father who decided to become a corrections officer because of the pay. After the hair cut, he goes to start his new job at the prison where black militant Jamaal X also arrives. The film shows the first day of the two men, cross-cutting between them. The terrible prison conditions are revealed. Prison guards treat the prisoners abusively, with violence and needless strip searches, and basic needs like functioning toilets are ignored. The spirit of the Vietnam war protests is influencing the prisoners to seek recognition of their human rights.
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