The System Movie Review

“The System” is a movie that takes an average ‘prison is hell’ scenario and says, how could we make this more exciting? I know – add the elements of ‘Thunderdome’ and ‘Fight Club’ to give it gritty hand-to-hand combat. Oh, and don’t forget the ‘sick daughter on the outside’ angle. And of course, the Warden who treats the prison as if it were his personal kingdom.

Terry Savage (played by Tyrese Gibson) is a vet of the recent wars. He was highly ranked and in the Special Forces. But now that he is out of the military, he has nothing. He only has a sick daughter who needs expensive medication. He cannot get a good, steady job or a decent place to live. So he turns to robbing drug houses, where is plenty of cash. But this time — he gets caught on the ‘job’.

Savage is brought in to see Police Commissioner Clarke (played by Ric Reitz). Clarke has a deal for Savage. One of those deals which is an “offer that he can’t refuse”. Clarke has heard rumors about a private corporate-owned and run prison, right near the city. He thinks that the Warden of that prison is up to no good. But Clarke needs somebody to get inside and get the goods. Do that, he tells Savage, and you’re free to get back to your daughter.

Savage is put into the private prison system. He is locked up and sees all types of prison gangs are operating on the inside. Commissioner Clarke has gotten a cell phone smuggled into the prison, and now Terry Savage has a way to send messages to Clarke. He can record video of any nasty things that might be happening.

Savage gets called in to see Warden Lucas (played by Jeremy Piven). Savage had been attacked, and the Warden is making sure that this new prisoner is safe and cozy. Because, there is a special thing that the Warden has going on in the place called ‘The Dungeon’. It is an all-out ‘brawl club’. That means it is a prisoner vs. prisoner fisticuffs takedown, no holds barred.

Savage meets a fellow inmate called Bones (played by Terrence Howard). Bones stood up for Savage when he got attacked, and he knows a little about self-defense. He basically agrees to become a “Mr. Miyagi” to Savage becoming “Daniel LaRusso”. Bones is trained in martial arts, but he still knows all the street moves. He had trained another inmate years before. He is called Freeway (played by Marrese Crump).

Freeway runs a gang in the prison, and he is the top fighter for Warden Lucas. On the Fight Night, Savage faces a few of the lower-level fighters. He is always coached by Bones. Warden Lucas towers above the Dungeon Fight Floor. He literally sits up on a throne. All the fights are narrated by an inmate called Joker (played by Lil Yachty). He is good with the mic, and calls out the Fighters and the results. Sometimes the loser needs to be dragged back to his cell.

Terry Savage knows that he is on to something huge here. He will be able to contact Commissioner Clarke and relay these details of the abuse and the gangs and the ‘Fight Club’. One day, Savage gets a visit from a woman who works at a law firm that helps vets. Janette Johnson (played by Arielle Prepetit) tells Savage that her group will work pro bono for his cause. Terry says his only ’cause’ is to get out and to see his daughter. She gives him her business card, in case he needs to get something.

Warden Lucas finds that Freeway is not as loyal as he would like, so the Warden pits Freeway against Savage. Freeway is taken down, and now Savage has become the top dog in the prison. He knows that when he gets all this information over to Commissioner Clarke about the shady deal that Warden Lucas has going on — he will be home free. But why won’t he answer those text messages any more. Is something strange going on?

Savage finds out that Warden Lucas is running even more dirty side deals. The Warden is willing to cut Savage in for a part of proceeds. But that would only be is Savage stays and becomes the Warden’s personal fight-master. You better not refuse too quickly, because you never know what might happen to your buddy and cellmate Bones. Anyway, until you get out Savage, you can earn some bucks to send to your daughter…

“The System’ wants you to think that it can take on really heavy topics. It does some talking about private corporations that run prisons, and the lack of oversight. It does some talking about the overabundance of people of color who wind up in these private prisons. It does some taking about the people who serve in the military and the lack of support that vets get from the government that they served.

But the real reason this movie got made was to get a whole load of fight scenes on the screen, and to get many shots of Tyrese Gibson glowering. He can glower at the camera like nobody else. He looks mean just standing there. Plus there is that great performance of Jeremy Piven as the Warden. He is so over-the-top, it’s like he is in orbit. He plays such a slimy, dirty guy, but he has the nicest, most Southern Drawl!

“The System” is a throwback to late 1980’s type of movie. It could have starred Sylvester Stallone back then. But now Tyrese Gibson gets to fight to bring down the system…