The film was growing but I assume on purpose. Acting poor and script worse. I must questions the review's on this site. Whilst I know we all have differing opinions how any one can score this a 10 I'll never know. This film wasted the acting talents it had.
25 Reviews
Not good enough
bakidarakari11 November 2017
The story is straight simple.no mystery.but the way they begin the movie,you would expect something unexpected would be unravelled but to my disappointment it is not.could not know the who was playing the protagonist.i thought story would focus on one character but gradually shifted to another.not good enough.
Poor acting and plot holes
marcelobrandao-5968810 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie in 2020 on Netflix, and I had notice some actors that would be famous later in life. But this movie seems to be just a low budget one, with poor acting and inconsistent writing.
The sadness of Mike for losing his son simply doesn't convince. And his constant pokerface while in prison looks like a school play's actor throwed into a movie.
Some plot issues doesn't help as well. How Mike let a police officer paralytic waist down only by punching his face?
And how does he makes a gun only with paper? And how none of the guards notice the silly hideout of this gun?
To finish my review: Durty goes to jail as a street drug dealer and comes out as a well succeeded man, with no reason, with suit, a big car and a happy family.
Well, there's a lot of holes in this plot. It's not the worst movie ever. There's some redemption of a bad guy in the end, and I always appreciate this.
Well, if you see it with low expectations, you should be fine with it.
awful movie
kianp28 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was awful in my opinion, yet funnily enough i stayed glued to the screen till the end. I guess it wasn't because the movie was interesting rather i wanted to see what other things the director decided to pull out of the bag. It was hilarious at times with things that just came up (gun made of paper mache), and i don't usually expect to be laughing in such a drama. This movie seemed like it didn't have a style of it's own, rather incorporating whatever the director wanted to throw into the movie, and when you try and throw everything and anything into a movie, it makes it a stupid movie. The scene where one of the inmates (Clever) starts dancing while mopping the floor? Sorry, but i REALLY thought the movie was awful.
Boring
NemoAB2 March 2005
I just saw this movie and was bored beyond believe.
The story is without any depth. A boy gets accidentally shot, even the involved drug dealers do not know how that happened. They get some years in prison for the drugs.
The father of the dead boy is left behind, his wife has died too some time ago. All he got is his revenge. So he beats up a cop to get into jail to say hello to the two "muderers" of his son.
The movie did not show the motivation of the characters. You see the father drinking alcohol, but you do not feel his pain. The idea of following the guys into jail is so absurd, that it leads to my low rating. To build a complicated weapon like a pistol out of paper instead of a simple one like a knife out of a piece of metal doesn't make any more sense to me.
The situation in the jail is shown as it is like a normal average us-American jail, but I can only hope that it isn't.
In the end I was left with the question what this was all about. I don't know.
The story is without any depth. A boy gets accidentally shot, even the involved drug dealers do not know how that happened. They get some years in prison for the drugs.
The father of the dead boy is left behind, his wife has died too some time ago. All he got is his revenge. So he beats up a cop to get into jail to say hello to the two "muderers" of his son.
The movie did not show the motivation of the characters. You see the father drinking alcohol, but you do not feel his pain. The idea of following the guys into jail is so absurd, that it leads to my low rating. To build a complicated weapon like a pistol out of paper instead of a simple one like a knife out of a piece of metal doesn't make any more sense to me.
The situation in the jail is shown as it is like a normal average us-American jail, but I can only hope that it isn't.
In the end I was left with the question what this was all about. I don't know.
Garbage movie
mdswing12 April 2005
When my sister brought home this movie to watch my first thoughts were - "black action movie, never heard of the title, can't recall any of the actors names.. must be rubbish".
After deciding to give it a try.. it turned from a bad drama to a comedy. The acting was horrible, the plot was stupid and to top it off the prison had 1 prison guard.. she was hot though.
I ended up laughing the whole way through this movie. Laughing not because it was funny, but the acting and some of the scenes were just stupid.
Overall i give it a 1/10 only because i couldn't vote any lower. Rent this movie if you want to see how NOT to make a movie
After deciding to give it a try.. it turned from a bad drama to a comedy. The acting was horrible, the plot was stupid and to top it off the prison had 1 prison guard.. she was hot though.
I ended up laughing the whole way through this movie. Laughing not because it was funny, but the acting and some of the scenes were just stupid.
Overall i give it a 1/10 only because i couldn't vote any lower. Rent this movie if you want to see how NOT to make a movie
Good Movie, But It Has Flaws.
tarbosh220007 December 2004
I thought "Doing Hard Time" was a decent movie. All the performances are good especially Michael Williams as Craig and Sticky Fingaz as Eddie. The plot is about Mike (Boris Kodjoe) who purposely gets himself thrown in prison because the killers of his child are in the same jail, and he wants revenge. It does have all the clichés you expect in a prison movie (The corrupt guards, every prisoner has a cool nickname\disability). It tries to be different by showing the killer to have a heart and be remorseful and in the long run, it does work. The script is a little weak at points because it sometimes tries too hard to be "the outside the box prison movie".
In The End: It's worth seeing for the odd plot line and gritty performances.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
In The End: It's worth seeing for the odd plot line and gritty performances.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Sins of the father
orclord15 March 2005
I was amazed at how great this movie was. Recently I've been renting a lot of these types of movies (typicaly "black violence") due to the fact that i enjoy violence in movies. But this one surprised me quite a bit.. The storyline seemed a bit silly at first.. Son gets shot in a crossfire of a sour drug deal and the father gets himself arrested so he can get revenge on the guys who killed him.. While it sounded to me like the father was going to be the main character, it turns out to focus more on one of the 2 people who were arrested for the murder/drug deal.
That turned out to be a very good thing. the father (played by Boris Kodje, who's apparently famous... i never heard of him) was a single minded robot bent on revenge. I didn't care too much about his character. However, the convict has to deal with life in prison and learn the rules of the big house if he wants to get out alive.
There is quite a bit of violence in this movie, but its nothing you haven't seen on Oz, or just about any other R rated movie. There is nudity in here, but its just the backside of the guys in prison, nothing sexual or anything.
I strongly recommend this movie to those that like these types. very well done and the ending is certainly not what i had expected.
That turned out to be a very good thing. the father (played by Boris Kodje, who's apparently famous... i never heard of him) was a single minded robot bent on revenge. I didn't care too much about his character. However, the convict has to deal with life in prison and learn the rules of the big house if he wants to get out alive.
There is quite a bit of violence in this movie, but its nothing you haven't seen on Oz, or just about any other R rated movie. There is nudity in here, but its just the backside of the guys in prison, nothing sexual or anything.
I strongly recommend this movie to those that like these types. very well done and the ending is certainly not what i had expected.
Disgraceful.
RedSouls5 December 2015
I think constantly writing scripts based on the violence behind prison doors has finally clogged the mind of Preston A. Whitmore, frying his membrane into two pieces. The first piece only responds to violence, and the second to homosexuality.
Seriously, ninety percent of footage showed the actors, naked as the sun, showing their asses like a soft porn snuff film. The other ten percent involves your usual jail house rock film - blood, fists, disputes, and corrupt prison guards. I don't know what is more disturbing, the actual constant showing of asses, or the poor writing and directing abilities of Preston A. Whitmore.
Do not watch the movie if you suffer from suicidal tendencies - watching this movie might push a person off the edge. I guarantee this appalling attempt to be creative will give you the strength to go all the way and pull the trigger.
Seriously, ninety percent of footage showed the actors, naked as the sun, showing their asses like a soft porn snuff film. The other ten percent involves your usual jail house rock film - blood, fists, disputes, and corrupt prison guards. I don't know what is more disturbing, the actual constant showing of asses, or the poor writing and directing abilities of Preston A. Whitmore.
Do not watch the movie if you suffer from suicidal tendencies - watching this movie might push a person off the edge. I guarantee this appalling attempt to be creative will give you the strength to go all the way and pull the trigger.
Quite the good ones
kosmasp16 January 2022
No pun intended of course. I was quite surprised ... I remembered the cover for this from back in the day when there were video stores (look it up) ... but what a cast this has. I reckon if you have to look up video store, you probably have no idea who I am talking about. Still if you see the actors in this, you may feel their screen presence.
It's a shame then ... a shame because the story tries to be so many things. Tries to paint the people inside it as more than one shade of ... whatever color you want to see them in. It almost works too - because of the actors we have in this. But it really feels weird at best in its worst moments. Not sure if I would lay the blame entirely on the main actor - it seems the others do a better job than him ... whatever the case, quite the curiosity and quite the odd movie with cliches and things I did not think would happen ... quite the raw potential one can find here ...
It's a shame then ... a shame because the story tries to be so many things. Tries to paint the people inside it as more than one shade of ... whatever color you want to see them in. It almost works too - because of the actors we have in this. But it really feels weird at best in its worst moments. Not sure if I would lay the blame entirely on the main actor - it seems the others do a better job than him ... whatever the case, quite the curiosity and quite the odd movie with cliches and things I did not think would happen ... quite the raw potential one can find here ...
I Guess Rent was due!
mimiybyazphil25 October 2020
So many recognizable stars are in this dumpster fire of a movie, I have to wonder was their rent
OVERDUE! Michael Kenneth Williams; Boris Kojoe, and Giancarlo Esposito actually said YES to this?! Silly script, horrible camerawork and terrible acting, who greenlighted this horror show Stevie Wonder?
pretty good
msmeechie200522 September 2005
I saw the movie recently and I was pleasantly surprised. Yes the movie has a common plot line and the characters were somewhat believable. The thing I liked about it most was that for some people, it took them out of their box.
Boris Kodjoe is always playing a basketball player or some type of athlete. This role was something different. I applaud him for trying to come out of his comfort zone and trying something else. I also noticed that Regan Gomez-Preston can truly play the girl next door. I am used to her being a goody two shoes, but she reminded me of a few people that I know on the streets. Hats off to her too.
The whole theory of an eye for an eye is not relatively new. It is something that we can all identify with. I did feel that the writers and directors tried to put a little twist on it. There was symbolism and a little bit of artistic creativity thrown in. The ending was not what I expected. It was actually the best part of the movie. I recommend this as something to watch on a Saturday night when someone is in the mood for a little action, but something that is not too violent.
Boris Kodjoe is always playing a basketball player or some type of athlete. This role was something different. I applaud him for trying to come out of his comfort zone and trying something else. I also noticed that Regan Gomez-Preston can truly play the girl next door. I am used to her being a goody two shoes, but she reminded me of a few people that I know on the streets. Hats off to her too.
The whole theory of an eye for an eye is not relatively new. It is something that we can all identify with. I did feel that the writers and directors tried to put a little twist on it. There was symbolism and a little bit of artistic creativity thrown in. The ending was not what I expected. It was actually the best part of the movie. I recommend this as something to watch on a Saturday night when someone is in the mood for a little action, but something that is not too violent.
The one that worked
jmbwithcats13 January 2005
DHT, to me is a movie about losing sight, and finding it again. I just saw Doing Hard Time, and it's hard to express how this movie effected me, as I'm still processing what I experienced.
DHT, is a honest, raw, and bonifide look at reality, and what our choices bring with it's consequences. Cause and Effect, in effect.
I thought this movie had superb acting, great dialog, and cohesion, all movies have flaws, but those aside, this movie hit home, and did so masterfully.
The gritty acting was never overplayed, always on target, and straight from the heart.
I give this movie 9 of 10.
DHT, is a honest, raw, and bonifide look at reality, and what our choices bring with it's consequences. Cause and Effect, in effect.
I thought this movie had superb acting, great dialog, and cohesion, all movies have flaws, but those aside, this movie hit home, and did so masterfully.
The gritty acting was never overplayed, always on target, and straight from the heart.
I give this movie 9 of 10.
Good idea with too many flaws.
jebyvyson30 October 2022
I literally have to see who directed this movie because the way how this movie was presented makes me think it's a debuted film. I like the idea of the dad going to prison to get revenge on a man who killed his son, but the way the movie was written and executed was terrible. You can easily see the mistakes in this film and the whole movie is just boring from start to finish. I'll say the only positive in this film is Michael Kenneth Williams's performance in this film. I was surprised to see Giancarlo Esposito in this film but was barely in it. It's a boring prison movie trying too hard. That's all I have to say.
It's a prison movie, with lot's of shower scenes
s_r_d29 November 2004
If you like badly acted and badly edited low budget movies then this is your flick (Tarantino - take note). I'd recommend 'Baby Boy' with Snoop if you want a good 'from the hood' type movie. Personally speaking I don't think DHT was worth the discounted rate it took to make.
It's a prison movie mostly, though there are a few 'outside' scenes. It is low budget. The story makes no sense - I couldn't get in to the main characters mindset at all. There are several scenes that dwell for an inappropriate amount of time on male rear ends in the prison showers and other prison places. I don't like looking at man butt, so that bothered me. The acting sucks too, not just a little bit - but a whole bunch. The editing tries to be artsy but just succeeds in being crappy and bad. The one exception is when the gay bookie character is dancing to an old song while mopping up after hours, that was a decent scene for about 15 seconds.
Overall, not worth the time - pretty much garbage.
It's a prison movie mostly, though there are a few 'outside' scenes. It is low budget. The story makes no sense - I couldn't get in to the main characters mindset at all. There are several scenes that dwell for an inappropriate amount of time on male rear ends in the prison showers and other prison places. I don't like looking at man butt, so that bothered me. The acting sucks too, not just a little bit - but a whole bunch. The editing tries to be artsy but just succeeds in being crappy and bad. The one exception is when the gay bookie character is dancing to an old song while mopping up after hours, that was a decent scene for about 15 seconds.
Overall, not worth the time - pretty much garbage.
Storyline writing
sanntanna31 May 2022
I remember being young watching it how I thought the story was interesting and the action in it was gruesome. But rewatching it recently I seen how kind of stupid and cliche it was. Only thing and major thing that just didn't sit right with me was why (Boris) -main character had to brutally beat a cop to go to jail they're multiple ways to go to jail you did not need to do that and mess up
Your whole life just to find the men and for it end the way it did I believe it could've been alternatives tbh but I really the movie is kind of basic to have all these great actors.
PARKINSON ???
angieking-7868811 January 2022
Below average
ValleDk5 September 2021
Standard story with nice overthought end
info-365714 December 2004
The movie starts really sad and the story tells itself along the way. You expect everything that happens in the movie. A man revenging the death of his 7-year old son, but he has to get himself into prison where the dudes are that caused this trauma. Along the way no spectaculare things happen, because the most parts are already told in 100 other movies. Don't be throwing it directly to the bin, cause the character of Michael is played more then reasonable. No real good conversations, but some nice action scenes. Finishing in a "never-thought-it-could-be-in-this-kind-of-movie" end...but maybe one of the better ends I've seen in this genre.
This was a comedy right?
jmezzatesta1 August 2021
Hilarious movie! Even the sound and music is poorly done and has strange echo's and reverb here and there for no reason, something you see only in really bad(good) 70s ninja flicks! The acting is either sorta ok, or horrid! It's so funny... Directing is hilarious too! I didn't know you could make moving a camera from 1 guy, to another, back to the first then back to the other, so funny!! Thanks for that haha... Also, never make another montage... So bad...
The story took at least 5 minutes to come up with, no doubt, and was super boring and clique. But I had to watch it all! I was laughing the whole way! Need more comedies like this!
For early 2000's, pretty good
treyxxdallas26 June 2022
Will all due respect , people are expecting way too much out of this movie . It was made in 2004! People expecting crazy graphics and all but imo It really wasn't that bad . The plot was pretty good , yea some of the prison scenes were pretty corny but aside from that the acting wasn't terrible and the fight seems were dope. The ending has a deeper meaning that a lot of people just seem to small minded to understand . Just don't get your hopes up for a everything goes right and happily ever after at the end , although it is how you interpret it.
great movie
shorterimhotrod20 December 2004
i think dong hard time was an excellent movie, Michael K Williams a.k.a Omar from The Wire was great i have seen a lot of prison movies and this one was the most believable definitely a classic with a great cast and great story line. Every father can relate to the pain he was going threw and would probably do the same thing he did The character of razor was a very important character to the story line and deserved recognition at the end of the movie, the fight scenes were very intense between dirty curt and Boris , i hadn't seen a fight scene that good in a movie in a long time
a must see movie
a must see movie
Neglected Direction.
Nemesis422 August 2021
Interesting but ankward....
searchanddestroy-113 June 2021
It is easy to prefer OZ series than this weak attempt to bring a response to the. Tom Fontana's TV show. Here the characters are not well performed, not the casting, only the performances, camera work are not that terrific either but the whole is saved by the unusual topic and unexpected plot. You wonder all long the show who the good guy is, where is the bad, the evil one? You feel empathy for both the Nemesis, the enemies, a very interesting scheme, but maybe not that comfortable for most audiences. One more example of what grade B pictures can afford to offer, new experiments and potential good surprises, even pulled by awful acting and directing skills.
Not good!
BudoSenpai4 January 2022
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