At 14, James (Lofranco) is having trouble settling into a new school and doesn't seem interested in trying. Abused as a child, he's had a violent criminal record since age 6. Despite his caring mother (Parker), he falls in with bad kids Crystal and Manny (Salazar and Opara), who introduce him to gangster-dealer Roc (Trotter). Clearly James would rather live this violent life than go to school. Then as he begins working for Roc, narrowly avoiding death and arrest, he falls for local shop girl Sarah (Farmiga).

James decides to do one last job for Roc before going straight for Sarah. Not only is this the most overused plot point in movies, but the filmmakers give away what happens by intercutting the story with James' prison experience three years later, picking fights before he's even off the bus, squaring up against weaselly warden Falton (Woods), bristling against guru-like inmate Conrad (Rhames), helping a tragic newbie (Rosenfield) and refusing to snitch against his vilest enemy (Gomez).

While it's sharply shot and edited, with sensitive acting, there isn't a single moment we haven't seen in a better film. Rhames' character is especially Shawshank-like, complete with his Brazilian beach obsession. Director White strains to evoke street-smarts then reveals the artificiality by, for example, having inmates showering/brawling while wearing white, dry boxers. And the prison code of honour seems to exist only because the screenplay insists on it, not because of any character motivation.

Even if the relationships ring false, there are strong themes that make the film worth a look, most notably in the way kids are labeled as "bad" and can do virtually nothing to turn that around. James isn't stupid; he just makes terrible decisions. And the odd structure removes tension by telling us that he'll end up behind bars, leaving the other strand as mere backstory. So in the end, despite an impassioned "what I learned" speech to the parole board, we wonder if he can go straight even if he wants to.

themes, language, violence

19.Jan.14