Tag Archives: Prisoner

Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Two different prisoners between desperation and fantasy

Posted on August 12, 2026 by kaist455

Bill Condon’s 2025 musical film “Kiss of the Spider Woman”, which went straight to streaming in South Korea, is about two very different but equally desperate prisoners whose reality swings back and forth between desperation and fantasy. As they begin … Continue reading →

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Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Between two different prisoners

Posted on August 10, 2026 by kaist455

Brazilian filmmaker Héctor Babenco’s 1985 film “Kiss of the Spider Woman” is a hauntingly complex prison drama between two very different figures. Although there are not many common things between them, they cannot help but connect more with each other … Continue reading →

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Sing Sing (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As they prepare for another show in their prison

Posted on September 22, 2024 by kaist455

It is always fascinating for me to observe different people and lives via good movies, and “Sing Sing” is one of such terrific films. Although most of its main characters are quite different from me in many aspects, I observed … Continue reading →

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The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): More than a prison break

Posted on May 16, 2024 by kaist455

It has been nearly 30 years since I watched Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption” for the first time. As far as I remember, I watched it at least three times, and I saw it again a local movie theater yesterday … Continue reading →

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Free Chol Soo Lee (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The injustice upon one Korean immigrant

Posted on October 22, 2023 by kaist455

Documentary film “Free Chol Soo Lee” presents the harrowing real-life story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American immigrant who was wrongfully accused of the murder he did not commit and then was unjustly incarcerated for that. It is touching … Continue reading →

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Night of the Kings (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Stories for surviving his first night in prison

Posted on November 29, 2021 by kaist455

“Night of the Kings”, which was selected as Ivory Coast’s official entry to Best International Film Oscar in last year (It was included in the shortlist although it was not subsequently nominated), is a little but extraordinary film to be … Continue reading →

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The Mauritanian (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A flawed but earnest legal drama

Posted on March 18, 2021 by kaist455

Kevin Macdonald’s new film “The Mauritanian” is a flawed but earnest legal drama which could be better if it stuck more to its unjustly imprisoned hero. Yes, the movie sometimes loses its narrative focus and momentum as shuffling around several … Continue reading →

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The Mustang (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The Prisoner and a wild horse

Posted on July 1, 2019 by kaist455

The story and characters of “The Mustang” are familiar to the bone. Here is a violent, troubled man who has been struggling with his guilt and anger, and the movie simply observes he gradually goes through a process of rehabilitation … Continue reading →

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