Dog Pound
Dir: Kim Chapiron
2010
***
Dog Pound - written and directed by Kim Chapiron. Really? Written by? I think you'll find that it was written by Roy Minton! Dog Pound is a gritty and suspenseful drama set in a correctional facility for adolescents. The characters reflect the different backgrounds, cultures and problems that can drive young people to crime today but also sees things from the point of view of the prison guard, the pressures they are under, their and the public's perception to some extent. It's a good drama that doesn't pull any punches, the only problem I have with it is that it is a direct copy of Alan Clarke's 1979 masterpiece; Scum. Not once is the film mentioned nor Clarke (the director) or Minton (the writer) credited. So as much as I enjoyed the film, I'm appalled and shocked at the level of plagiarism.