Attica (1980 TV Movie) User Reviews

Intense

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 1 August 2015]

ATTICA, a made-for-TV film released in 1980, is an intense re-telling of the true story of the Attica prison riot in 1971 which led to a number of inmates being gunned down in cold blood by the authorities. This devastating incident is an almost legendary part of American history - I knew about it from watching DOG DAY AFTERNOON - so I was eager to see how the material was handled.

It turns out that this is a very well made production that sticks to the facts of the case without sensationalising them. The story is stark, complex, and deeply human, and the casting director deserves particular kudos for assembling a team of greats. On the one hand we have the likes of Charles Durning and Henry Darrow as the guys at the top trying to sort things out and then we get Morgan Freeman and David Harris as the empowered convicts trying to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

This is a thoughtful exploration of a hot topic and really an actor's dream, because many of the dialogue scenes are powerfully put across. ATTICA might well be the definitive retelling of an unforgettable true story.

Long On Facts, Short On Drama

[Dan1863Sickles · 5/10 · 9 October 2020]

Great movie if you're looking to get the facts about what actually happened during the Attica Prison Riot in 1971. But the writers were obviously so concerned with being fair and accurate that they forgot about stuff like drama, action, and humor, and atmosphere.

The only entertaining thing about this movie is that the casting is all over the map. Morgan Freeman is slotted perfectly into his usual role -- the dignified, thoughtful older black man who desperately wants to keep the young bloods from doing anything foolish. He found a role that worked for him, and even though he's quite young in this picture he plays the part like a man decades older.

At the other extreme is Anthony Zerbe, wildly miscast as hippy lawyer William Kunstler. A long time friend and collaborator of Charlton Heston's, Zerbe is best remembered today for his chilling portrayal of "Brother" Matthias, a freaked out mutant cult leader in the science fiction classic THE OMEGA MAN. Now the irony is that Zerbe brilliantly underplayed Matthias' psychotic mania, giving him an urbane, civilized air even as he was trying to roast Charlton Heston alive. Yet here, as a hippy lawyer who believes in peace and brotherhood, Zerbe chews the scenery and rolls his eyes incessantly, as though grooving on his own righteousness. It's hilarious, but not very convincing.

Young David Harris plays T.J. He's the gullible young black convict who believes that revolution is right around the corner. You'll never guess what happens to him at the end of the movie! Ironically, David Harris was red hot at this time, coming off his role as Cochise in the teen-gang classic THE WARRIORS. But while in that movie he could convey brutal power and menace with barely a glance, here he bleats "black power" in a hypnotized, childlike sing-song that makes him come across as more pathetic than anything else. From here it was all down hill, and Harris was last seen playing Denzel Washington's weak-willed sidekick Smalls in A SOLDIER'S STORY. "Now Peterson, he told me, uh, don't desert, but when that train start coming I just run, suh! C.J. he tole me to!"

My brother in law was on the jury

[hyboost62 · 2 August 2009]

Just a little note, my brother in law was the foreman on the jury, I still remember seeing his face on T.V. & his mother getting all upset, thinking the inmates or families would come after him. He never did have any problems but one of the other jurors & my brother in law became best friends and are still friends to this day.

Strange how bad things can sometimes lead to strange things, like friendship, marriage among others. I now live within a dozen miles from the prison, I have driven past the prison on many occasion, thinking what a scary place it is and how tough you need to be to survive a stint inside the stone walls. I drove my son past one day, explaining about how his uncle was on the jury. I think it frightened him a little bit. I told him to behave or he could end up on the inside! I remember watching the guards in the towers watching me, holding what looked to be M-16 automatic weapons. That was enough to make me turn around and head out of the parking lot and not look back!!

True Movie

[hk-50 · 6/10 · 11 February 2007]

I found this movie floating around on True Movies one afternoon and thought the film sounded interesting i.e. criminals vs cops.

The acting was average and nothing special came from anyone including Morgan Freedman. I had to admit I've never seen Freedman looking as young as he did in that movie.

The soundtracks were passable to accompany the dangerous moments and the ending. Could of been better.

The script could of done with some, "dramatization". It wouldn't of hurt the film to add some more speeches, some little action moments between the criminals and cops. I understand its a true movie and it is trying to reflect the moment of September the 9th 1971, but thats what I think anyway.

I have to say I was surprised to see how the ending was. I could not believe the U.S would be as ruthless and dangerous as to line up the guards and start shooting anyone who is not on the floor with their hands behind their back.

Good movie with a sad ending.

Well done docudrama

[encyes · 8/10 · 14 December 2016]

Not knowing much more about the Attica Prison Riots than hearing about it through "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Saturday Night Fever", but familiar enough that it was a dark period of history, I chose to start my study of the riots by watching this film. Regardless of whether that method of research was the smartest, I watched "Attica" with an open mind and the realization that TV movies tend to overdramatize and take liberties with historical-based subjects. However, I found little of this in "Attica". The movie seems to take a bold, straight-forward look at the events without muddying it with personal relationships, unnecessary side stories or drawn-out dialogue. There is a sympathy, a compassion and an understanding of both sides of the story for both the prisoners and the negotiators. It swiftly moves from one important scene to the next, addressing the pivotal points that occurred throughout those four days, climaxing on the unavoidably prolonged massacre at the film's conclusion. As a whole, I thought this was a well made, well directed, and a well acted movie, and hope that it has been faithful to the facts.

Atticana

[view_and_review · 8/10 · 22 July 2020]

Americana is any collection of materials and things concerning or characteristic of the United States or of the American people, and is representative or even stereotypical of American culture as a whole. Right now I'm into Atticana.

It all started with the movie "Dog Day Afternoon." I had no idea what Al Pacino meant when he was repeatedly shouting "Attica! Attica! Attica!" I later found out that Attica was a prison in New York.

Last year I read the Pulitzer Prize winning book "Blood in the Water" by Heather Ann Thompson about the Attica uprising, retaking, and the subsequent years of litigation. Then, in the last few days, I've watched "Against the Wall" which focuses a lot on one guard, Michael Smith (Kyle MacLachlan) and one prisoner, Jamaal X (Samuel L. Jackson) aka Richard X Clark and highly dramatizes the entire event. After that I watched the 1974 documentary titled: "Attica" which, so far, is the best film on the topic. And I've now capped my Atticana craving with "Attica" the movie.

Although "Attica" the movie is based upon Tom Wicker's book, "A Time to Die," it is also closer in portrayal to the 1974 documentary. Even with the 1980 film editing I found that "Attica" sucked me right in. I was captivated by the situation more than I was by the individual characters. Though I know how it all went down, I still found myself attentive to what was said, what was done, and who did and said what. It's American history after all. So, even though I'm calling it Atticana, it is a part of Americana.

Attica I was an extra in movie 1980

[patmanandrobin · 10/10 · 27 July 2008]

I am curious if they included the nude scene at the end where we were all stripped down and beaten by the guards as we were filed back into the building. It was pretty realistic. It was filmed at the Lima state hospital for the criminally insane which was open for business at the time and we would converse with the inmates. I remember wearing a short haired wig to not cut my long hair.as they did not allow long hair in Attica in the 60's/70's. I wanted to be in it as I had followed the injustice during that time and hitched from Columbus and back to make 5 bucks an hour for really hard work as an extra standing around in the heat with a bunch of other folks. There was actually almost a riot when the director of the institution came out and made remarks about people bringing in drugs,some pot smoking was happening and sharp instruments and that he would bring the highway patrol in to frisk and arrest all involved..hell there was hundreds of us and it was late in the afternoon with no lunch yet so the reply was quite radical towards the man...Q guy next to me quipped they are gonna start a real riot and film it. fortunately the main director got the mike and cooled us down and we in turn threw little things like safety pins and other harmless items into a box to act like we were complying and all was well and our extra work finished up that day and no one was accosted on the way out of the secure environment we had definitely mocked. Pat Adkins Aheville, NC

@Pat

[jim-841-454030 · 8/10 · 11 September 2010]

I was an extra in the movie -- the blond guard who was taken hostage.

To answer a previous question, the "nude" scene was not at the end of the movie and was shot as we hostages were driven outside (most of us were nude, but not all) into the yard where about 1,000 other extras were supposed to be trying to kill us while other inmates protected us.

We called it the gauntlet when we were filming it. It was cold and muddy and we had to shoot it several times. They gave us bed sheets to wrap up in between takes -- but it was more for warmth than modesty as after the first take, we were pretty muddy head to toe from being pushed around a lot in the mud by 100s of people -- there were about 35 of us playing hostages. We hostages were paid three or four times the regular daily pay for that day and I remember a lot of the movie's big shots had their wives and/or girl friends on the set that day, too.

The scene was included in the European release of the movie. I have copies of both.

The end was more about the state police just shooting at the inmates sort of randomly and depicting the fact that since many of the police were shooting shotguns, many of the dead and wounded hostages were shot by the police, not inmates.

It was hard work... long, long days inside a hospital for the criminally insane... and long stretches of nothing at all to do, as well... lots of hurry up and wait.

The movie won a few big awards -- Chomski had just finished Holocaust previous to this movie and was sort of riding that success -- ABC Circle films, I believe.

Details cut due to time restraints. The one mistake of an otherwise great TV drama.

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 15 November 2021]

The film opens with the loud, angry sound of a club rattling along prison cell gates in order to wake up the inmates. It's a disturbing sound because it's so inhumane, and less than 10 minutes later, the riots have begun yet you feel like something has been cut out. The film needed to be a two-part TV drama rather than a 90 minutes movie of the week because the story was very important to tell in its entirety.

A great cast led by Charles Durning, Henry Darrow and Morgan Freeman dramatizes a good percentage of the first, although names have been changed and some characters combined. But what you get is a real gist of the issues here, especially the opportunistic ones are people outside the prison system who decide to use the riots for their own benefit.

Not all of the white characters are insincere. In fact, the character played by Durning ( who ironically appeared in "Dog Day Afternoon" where the famous Attica chant was heard) is quite sincere. Freeman, in one of his early leading parts, is excellent as a very soft-spoken inmate, offering wise advice to the brilliant David Harris who really gain sympathy by explaining how he wanted to help black youth after leaving his home and how that curtain towards his dream was pulled closed on him.

The film has a nice flow to it, showing more of the personal side of the story rather than the predicted violence, and that makes it easier to get into once you start to watch it. Of course, there are elements that are very disturbing because the outcome has already been written through the headlines and the truth of how it ended. You'd think that there would be an element of hope in prison reform after this incident, but that's obviously not been impacted by how the real situation unfolded. You see the best and worst sides of humanity from all perspectives, and at least the basic honesty makes an impact even though I would not have minded this being an hour longer.