The Glass House (1972 TV Movie)
7/10
throwing stones
20 January 2012
"The Glass House" is very much a ground level, heavy-hearted film. I've seen far more than my fair share of prison movies, and after a while, you start to grow bored of all the easy clichés. But instead of reminding me of other stories I've seen, "The Glass House" brings to mind documentaries of prison life. The dark side of just how unlivable things can be. This isn't about escape or change or anything at all positive. Just finding yourself in a situation where there's no way out and no right answer. The fact that they filmed in a real, active prison adds a level of reality you can't just dream up.

People like Alan Alda, Vic Morrow, and Billy Dee Williams were quite familiar to me, but they find a different approach here. There's a kind of subtlety that they wouldn't always get to employ in other films that is very convincing here. Everything seems real, and that makes for a powerful, frustrating, and ultimately heartbreaking story.
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