Coldwater

Brutal and largely by-the-numbers as far as juvenile-incarceration films go, director Vincent Grashaw's Coldwater attempts to shed light on the controversial U.S. industry built around harsh boot camps for troubled minors. Unfortunately, the drama rarely rises above B-movie level, with shallow characters and frequent scenes of sadism. The redeeming element here is the powerful lead performance by P.J. Boudousque as an angry teen named Brad, who is deeply wounded by the deaths of two important people in his life and troubled by his mother's plans to bring a boyfriend into their home. Upset by her son's drug use and rebelliousness, mom arranges for Brad to be hauled off to a remote camp that is run by a cruel, cigar-chomping, boozing former marine colonel (James C. Burns) and his staff of thugs. Beatings and other atrocities are daily occurrences, although the second half of the film finds Brad adapted to the point where the colonel takes him on as an assistant, leading to a moral dilemma and a fateful decision. An optional purchase. (T. Keogh)