Stoic

Directed by: Uwe Boll

Starring: Edward Furlong, Sam Levinson, Steffen Mennekes, Shaun Sipos

Synopsis:

A convict is discovered hanged in his cell, following a day of brutal torment at the hands of his three cellmates. As each of the remaining three is interviewed, the whole sick story eventually comes to light.



Review:

I’ve had a dig or two at director Uwe Boll in the past. After all, he is infamous for his numerous video-game license tie-ins/cash-ins, such as House of the Dead, Postal, Bloodrayne and Far Cry. However, other than some trailers for his movies I must confess I’ve never watched a whole feature. Having seen Stoic, I suspect that behind the turgid hype and away from videogame adaptations is a pretty decent director.

Stoic is based on a true story that took place in a German prison and is a nasty, damning statement against the current western penal systems. Four inmates share a cell, in which they spend 23 hours of each day. It doesn’t take long in that environment for things to go wrong pretty quickly.

The three inmates (we only learn their names at the end of the movie) are like caged animals preying on the weakest. Why? Because there is nothing else to occupy their time. After losing a tube of toothpaste in a game of poker, one of the inmates is picked upon, then bullied, beaten and eventually raped. Realizing too late that things have gotten out of hand, the three concoct a horrible plan based on a prisoner’s urban myth: if they coax the guy into committing suicide, they’ll be psych-evaluated and sent to a mental hospital. The three inmates show varying degrees of remorse, fear and scorn for their predicament. What is shocking to learn is when we discover why these people were in prison in the first place, and the length of their sentences.

Other than for the interview sections which pepper the movie, the camera never leaves the cell. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The focus is always on the inmates. Even during the interviews, we never see the interrogator, nor do we hear the questions being asked. The feeling of claustrophobia is palpable and the drab clothes and bland grey-white walls depressing.

Watching the extras on the DVD I was surprised to learn that the script was completely improvised – you certainly don’t get that impression watching the movie. Edward Furlong, totally unrecognisable from his turn as John Connor in Terminator 2, plays the armed robber of the quartet and seems the more easy-going, while German actor, Steffen Mennekes plays the arsonist, who is the most violent of them. Sam Levinson’s low-level drug dealer is the most complex, at times seeming to be the voice of reason but ultimately just as much a sociopath as his cellmates.

Verdict:

There is no doubt in my mind that away from video-game franchises, Uwe Boll is an accomplished director. Here, he managed to coax intense, gritty performances from his four actors and has told a bleak, nihilistic tale of life inside prison. It’s not easygoing and is certainly not escapist entertainment.

7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)