The System
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Relevant messages in uneven, brutal prison fighting movie.
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The System
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What's the Story?
In THE SYSTEM, highly decorated former Marine Terry Savage (Tyrese Gibson) has been forced to rob a drug dealer to pay for his dangerously ill daughter's hospital bills. He's caught and goes to prison, but the commissioner (Ric Reitz) offers him a deal. If Terry goes to a special private prison and captures evidence of human rights violations, he'll be released. Once there, Terry is forced to fight to defend himself. Warden Lucas (Jeremy Piven) recruits him for a series of secret Friday-night fights called "The Dungeon." He's assigned a trainer, Bones (Terrence Howard), to show him the ropes. After a few bouts, Terry learns that the warden's corruption and lies go much deeper than expected. He decides on a dangerous plan to change things and, hopefully, get back to his daughter.
Is It Any Good?
Ranging from preachy to lazy to flat-out ridiculous, this prison-fight drama benefits from committed work by Gibson and Howard, but they can't overcome saggy storytelling and uninspired filmmaking. The System offers a lot of commentary -- all of it searingly relevant -- on the corruption, exploitation, and racism of the prison system. But it inserts all of this commentary into pockets of awkward expositional dialogue and ends up sounding irritating rather than inspirational. And the Dungeon fights are like a cheap parody of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (they all look like they were all filmed on the same day).
During the fights, an overacting Piven literally sits on a throne and shouts "come on!" in a Southern accent, while a comical fight announcer (rapper Lil Yachty) makes needless comments ("Welcome to the Dungeon!"), and a tokenized person of short stature is there only to ding the round bells and occasionally fist-bump the warden. And some details just aren't very smart, such as a cell phone that the commissioner has left for Terry in the apparently impenetrable prison, which Terry uses throughout without anyone ever noticing. Not to mention that overarching plot threads -- such as the warden offering to bring Terry in on the prison's secret drug business -- make absolutely no sense. Finally, everything in The System ties up a little too neatly, especially given how complex the problem is.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The System's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What did you learn about corruption and racism within the prison system? What do you think can be done about it?
At one point a character is called a bully. How is bullying behavior depicted here? Are those who bully others different inside the prison system than out? What are some strategies to deal with bullying?
How are drugs, alcohol, and smoking depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 28, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: November 4, 2022
- Cast: Tyrese Gibson , Terrence Howard , Jeremy Piven
- Director: Dallas Jackson
- Inclusion Information: Black directors, Black actors, Black writers
- Studio: The Avenue
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Run time: 98 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence, language throughout and some drug material
- Last updated: January 15, 2023
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