WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Accusation. When it is leveled against someone, the potential consequences from it can be harsh, unforgiving, and forever life-changing. Other times, it is brought about in error, without significant proof or foundational basis–a miscarriage of justice. This can bring about unfair judgment, and truly alter the path of one falsely charged. A young, bright male nurse, Will McIntyre (Nathan Wilson) has everything going for him. Maintaining an excellent job and reputation at his work, the cause to go out and celebrate also clings to the hotshot, who takes it upon himself to visit a club one evening post shift to let loose and relax. Meeting a beautiful girl, the evening seems set for pleasant endings.
Days later, Will finds himself at the center of a police investigation, with a claim of rape against him. Found guilty in court, a sentence is passed down for a 19-month stint in maximum security prison. Confused, scared, and completely baffled by this judgment, Will’s incarceration begins along with a small group of other newly convicted felons. Paired with a tough veteran inmate, Butch (Jamie Joseph), and forced to take over care for an infirmed con, Fung (Marty Rhone), Will is soon enough “in the know” about prison politics and survival. Unexpectedly, he gains the favor and initially hesitant friendship of Jimmy Cove (Martin Sacks), a notorious robber, who becomes an totally unforeseen anchor of protection and hope.
However, when new light is shone on Will’s case, a distinguished lawyer, Julie Nile (Erin Conner), risks everything she has to bring the case back to court and battle for Will’s freedom in the face of injustice done to him.
Next, my Mind:
For writer/director/producer/actor Mack Lindon, this dramatic narrative about wrongful imprisonment hits particularly close to home, as the effort is based on his actual life story, even having a cameo in the film as one of the inmates. Relative to other prison-based films over the years, this one carries itself with a slightly lighter touch tone-wise in that it isn’t non-stop chaos or intense situations in the shower room, but rather a good character-driven execution with moments of that severity intermixed to potent, but not overbearing, extent. This greatly works to the film’s benefit, in this reviewer’s opinion, as it proves you can still carry off a work of this nature without going overboard unnecessarily with excess brutality and menace, even knowing incarceration is anything but wine and roses.
Wilson, almost looking like the Australian equivalent of DiCaprio, very much embodies the youthful exuberance and confident attitude of McIntyre outside of prison and then certainly shifts equally well to playing the character as a fish-out-of-water/unjustly locked-up man who has to learn the ropes quickly and gain acceptance into the prison population for survival. Likewise, Sacks’ Cove is the purest picture of what one might expect a hardened, multi-time offender to appear like, complete with the shaved head, tattoos, goatee, and build that screams intimidation and commanding presence. Yet, the almost father-son bond that forms between Cove and Will is honestly enacted by Sacks as well, and it makes a believable element to this based-on-a-true story account.
With solid supporting turns by Joseph, Rhone, and Conner, “Rise” is a decent, well-acted, and worth-a-look independent film that ideally might even draw attention to situations like this one portrayed (and actually lived by Lindon), but also show that even on the inside, chaos and all, there can still be the human connection that everyone needs.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
