The four-day uprising at New York State Penitentiary in September 1971, which left 29 inmates and 10 guards dead, is best known simply as “Attica”--not only for the city where the prison is located, but also as a word synonymous with injustice. In this cable-TV film, lawyer Ernest Goodman (Alan Alda) takes on the case of an inmate, Bernard Stroble (Morris Chestnut), framed for murdering hostages who were actually killed by policemen sent in to quash the riot. A conventionally staged courtroom drama, The Killing Yard intercuts graphic black-and-white flashbacks to show what really happened three years before in this true story of government cover-up (which, after being exposed, eventually led to an $8 million settlement for abused inmates in 2000). Although the film leans towards TV-movie sentimentality, the acting is compelling enough to make this a strong optional purchase. (T. Rich)
The Killing Yard
Paramount, 110 min., R, VHS: $49.99, July 2 Volume 17, Issue 4
The Killing Yard
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