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Civil Brand

Play trailer Poster for Civil Brand R 2003 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
16% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Things are tough at Whitehead Correctional Institute, a notorious women's prison. The inmates include Lil' Mamma (Lark Voorhies), a pregnant teen, and Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), the queen bee of Whitehead. The inmates are under the supervision of abusive warden Dease (Clifton Powell), who forces them to endure hours of hard labor, from which he profits. Eventually, the women band together and reach out to part-time prison guard Michael (Mos Def), a law student, who helps them fight for reform.
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Civil Brand

Critics Reviews

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Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News 10/16/2003
1.5/4
It's impossible to ignore the strain of misogyny that taints the movie. Go to Full Review V.A. Musetto New York Post 10/10/2003
1/4
Barnette, a veteran TV director, means this as an expos of prison abuse and exploitation, but the film is too simplistic and derivative to succeed. Go to Full Review Tom Long Detroit News 10/10/2003
D
Artistically, its heavy-handed clumsiness undercuts its goals. Go to Full Review Todd Gilchrist FilmStew.com 12/15/2003
Wildly uneven, rife with a virtual checklist of human tragedies that build to easy emotional crescendos but fail to engage the audience well enough to evoke any meaning. Go to Full Review Bob Campbell Newark Star-Ledger 10/13/2003
It's guilty of gross B-movie meltdown, but mitigating circumstances include honest anger and a scattering of vivid scenes. Go to Full Review Jonathan W. Hickman Entertainment Insiders 10/11/2003
3/4
This is a film about the abuses of privatization and presents a negative view of what might happen if corporate America gets control of the business of corrections. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s @Thiagostone 04/18/2025 Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas são bacaninhas, o elenco é mais ou menos, e alguns ajudam a melhorar o filme, a história é boa, mas o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e mais relevantes. See more 02/22/2014 it's a really awesome movie , i loved it . See more 02/05/2014 LLLLOOOVVVEEE IIIITTTT See more 02/04/2014 I feel like this if u going do all of this abuse it need to be shut down flat out a captain literally killed someone child See more 04/02/2012 THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE ABOUT THE VIOLENCE BEING COMMITTED AGAINST WOMEN IN PRISON, A TRUE SORY See more 09/21/2011 may b direct2dvd script & direction, but.had some moments. See more Read all reviews
Civil Brand

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Cast & Crew

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Neema Barnette

Director

Yasiin Bey

Michael Meadows

N'Bushe Wright

Nikki Barnes

Monica Calhoun

Wet

Da Brat

Sabrina

Clifton Powell

Captain Dease

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Civil Brand

Civil Brand (2002) Tichina Arnold, LisaRaye, N'Bushe Wright, Lark Voorhies, and Monica Calhoun Monica Calhoun, N'Bushe Wright, LisaRaye, Lark Voorhies in Civil Brand Neema Barnette, director of Civil Brand View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Things are tough at Whitehead Correctional Institute, a notorious women's prison. The inmates include Lil' Mamma (Lark Voorhies), a pregnant teen, and Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), the queen bee of Whitehead. The inmates are under the supervision of abusive warden Dease (Clifton Powell), who forces them to endure hours of hard labor, from which he profits. Eventually, the women band together and reach out to part-time prison guard Michael (Mos Def), a law student, who helps them fight for reform.
Director
Neema Barnette
Producer
Neema Barnette, Carl Petragal
Screenwriter
Joyce Lewis, Joyce Lewis, Preston A. Whitmore II, Preston A. Whitmore II
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Production Co
Mandalay Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 22, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 7, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$243.3K
Runtime
1h 35m
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