Civil Brand (2002)
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16% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(3,210 ratings)
Television director Neema Barnette directs the forceful drama Civil Brand, based on a story by Preston A. Whitmore II. Shot with a micro-budget of 500,000 dollars, the film stars confrontational rap and hip-hop artists Mos Def, MC Lyte, and Da Brat. The story concerns a women's prison that… More Television director Neema Barnette directs the forceful drama Civil Brand, based on a story by Preston A. Whitmore II. Shot with a micro-budget of 500,000 dollars, the film stars confrontational rap and hip-hop artists Mos Def, MC Lyte, and Da Brat. The story concerns a women's prison that exploits its largely African-American inmate population as cheap labor to manufacture products for a corporation. Mostly incarcerated due to domestic violence situations, the inmates also face sexual abuse as the hands of the prison staff, headed by Captain Deese (Clifton Powell) and Warden Nelson (Reed McCants). Accused of murder, Frances Shepard (Lisa Rae) joins forces with inmates Little Momma (Lark Voorhies), Wet (Monica Calhoun), and Nikki Barnes (N'Bushe Wright), as well as law student Michael (Mos Def), in order to start an uprising. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Directed By
- Neema Barnette
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Cult Movies
R,
- In Theaters
- Aug 29, 2003 Wide
- Studio
- Lions Gate Films
Critic Reviews
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
It's impossible to ignore the strain of misogyny that taints the movie.
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Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger
It's guilty of gross B-movie meltdown, but mitigating circumstances include honest anger and a scattering of vivid scenes.
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V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Barnette, a veteran TV director, means this as an exposé of prison abuse and exploitation, but the film is too simplistic and derivative to succeed.
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Tom Long, Detroit News
Artistically, its heavy-handed clumsiness undercuts its goals.
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A.O. Scott, New York Times
It presents a heated-up, awkward blend of earnest outrage and down-and-dirty exploitation.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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LisaRaye
as Frances Shepard
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Mos Def
as Michael Meadows
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N'Bushe Wright
as Nikki Barnes
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Monica Calhoun
as Wet
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Da Brat
as Sabrina
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MC Lyte
as Sargent Cervantes
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Clifton Powell
as Captain Dease
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Lark Voorhies
as Little Momma
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Reed R. McCants
as Warden Nelson
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Tichina Arnold
as Aisha
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Lisa Ray
as Frances Shepard
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Robert Archer Lynn
as John Banks
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Chris Dodson
as Miller
- Lisa Raye
