SCUM II
Davis (Shane Kippel), a teen drug dealer, Angel (Mateo Morales) a teen car thief and Butch (Adam Butcher) a hot headed teen with violent tendencies all find themselves sent down and put in Montana's Enola Vale Youth Correctional Center. For each it is a challenge especially for Butch who finds himself the focus of attention from resident thug Banks (Taylor Poulin) and any chance of him serving his time without incident is seriously unlikely especially with a warden and guards who turn a blind eye to the abuse going on.
I am a believer that some movies get remade to update them to a current setting and making them appropriate for a new generation who might not watch a movie which for example was made in Britain during the 70s. Of course I have mentioned all that for a reason as whilst technically "Dog Pound" isn't a remake it for all sense and purpose is a remake of the classic "Scum", Alan Clarke's unsurpassed movie about delinquents in borstal.
Now I would imagine for a new generation "Dog Pound" is an effective drama, watching a decent guard deal with an inmate who has been drugged by another inmate hits home as he pushes his fingers into his throat to make him sick. And that is not the only powerful scene as there is scene after scene which shows the brutality and difficulty of being in a correctional facility as well as showing how drugs get in to the place and much more. The trouble is that for those who have experienced the shocking brutality of "Scum" will find this coming up short of the mark when it comes to building characters as unfortunately they end up at times anonymous.
What this all boils down to is that "Dog Pound" is an effective drama and doesn't hold back when it comes to the brutality of life in a correctional facility for boys. But it is one which is more likely to impress a new generation rather than those who have already experienced the superior "Scum".
