Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

ajagers This movie was the bomb. I like how all the characters came to life and how they all have their own story. I wanted to jump through the t.v. when captain Dee's raped and killed Lil mama. I couldn't believe he would do something like that. That cold hearted punk. That movie seemed so real like it was based on a true story. I hop it was all fictional because if something like that happened in real life then he deserved to die. Over all the movie was off the chain and they get many props from me. Great job. I like how they all got together and made a plan to take Dee's down. He was so corrupt. I hope that stuff really don't be happening in the prisons. Working for a dollar and fifty cent. That has got to be illegal. Anyways the movie was the bomb it was off the chain and i recommend that everybody goes to see it, rent it, or buy whatever you gotta do to watch it because it is worth it.

jazni As others have stated, there is a backstory to Civil Brand that is probably more dramatic than the film itself. To sum it up in as few words as possible: Black women directors have a difficult road to travel to see a feature film made.The film is definitely not a masterpiece, but the attempt at telling a story about African American women in prison is a great one. The film makes a point of comparing prison labor to US Slavery--and for good reason, it is certainly free labor, with poor working conditions.The narration by Da Brat is overkill, but because many scenes were never filmed, I'm sure it was an attempt to make the story cohesive. Lisa Raye was surprisingly decent and Monica Calhoun and Lark Voorhies did what they could with their supporting roles, but N'Bushe Wright was one of the most interesting characters to watch. She has great screen presence and excellent delivery. Hopefully we're able to see more of her.Civil Brand is not a great movie. It's filled with stereotypes and cliches--but it does bring a new and interesting point of view on women in prison. It's definitely worth renting or catching on television.

jakemcgee CIVIL BRAND is a story which tells of a women's prison in which the inmates are forced to work as slaves, and are exploited as little more than animals. True, we've all seen this in SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, where convicts are put to physical labor, but it's always been presented as an acceptable situation. A man robs a store and kills the clerk, so why not have him pound out license plates and working on road construction crews?CIVIL BRAND offers a fresh look at the Prison-Industrial Complex, attacking the issue from several different angles. For one thing, the inmates aren't working on roads or some kind of community service- they're making clothes for department stores. A more provocative approach, though, is the fact that these slaves are female, a scenario that folks are not used to considering. Outstanding performances by LisaRaye, Mos Def, Clifton Powell, MC Lyte, Monica Calhoun, Lark Voorhies, and the sensational N'Bushe Wright (the lady Panther from DEAD PRESIDENTS who is one of the most talented people acting in Cinema today, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous), powerful cinematography, and brutal honesty come together to make CIVIL BRAND not just a great movie, but an extremely important one.(c) Jake McGee - Get Underground

speck-1 This film is outstanding and anyone that has followed this movie over the past year knows there is a really great buzz about it all across the nation. This is also a big success for director Neema Barnette and the marvelous cast as this film has won several awards in it's journey to the top. Be sure to check this film out at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January and also in theatres across the country in April 2003 as Lions Gate Films prepares for a theatrical release.