Movie Review

Thirty years after the bloodiest prison uprising in U.S. history, images of what happened at Attica Prison in September 1971 remain burned into many Americans' memories of the Vietnam War era, alongside pictures of the riots at the Chicago Democratic convention and scenes of the killings at Kent State University. Scores of books, hundreds of articles, and a dozen or so films have since been produced about the episode—most of them covering much the same ground from different perspectives and with varying degrees of effectiveness.

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One reason why the Attica tragedy, which claimed forty-three lives, received such major attention was that millions of television viewers witnessed dramatic film clips from days of tense negotiations during the hostage incident and standoff at the upstate New York prison. Many viewers were horrified by later broadcasts showing the brutality and carnage that ensued from the state's military assault early on the fifth day. Later, the news media disclosed that police had needlessly killed many hostages and prisoners alike in their efforts to retake the prison. For some, Attica came to symbolize the need for prison reform; for others, it represented another terrifying threat to the established order.

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