Release

By: Raymond Murray
In-House Review - Jan 10 2012

Following the searing urban drama Shank, the Bristol, England-based creative team have returned with Release, an equally intense and powerful love story set in a hellish mens prison. Jack Gillie (Daniel Brocklebank), a young priest convicted of a serious crime, is incarcerated. Angry that his church has abandoned him, he suffers from a lapse of his faith. Yet he attempts to help and befriend his vulnerable cellmate Rook (Wayne Virgo). But no amount of comfort can protect Rook (and eventually the priest) from the threatened violence from one particular sadistic inmate. It's a volatile atmosphere; the guards either complacent or on the side of the thugs, the female warden is more concerned about power and sex than in maintaining control and the restless inmates Amidst all of this, Jack's only beam of hope comes in the form of prison guard Martin (Garry Summers) with whom he begins a passionate but clandestine affair. When tensions rise and violence explodes within the walls, both mens dreams of escaping together are threatened. Not your usually light weight gay indie, Release makes for a visceral, gut-wrenching affair touching on the subjects of justice, retribution, repression, religion and love.

By: gbelly

By: bubba

How lousy can a "gay" movie get? This alleged three-star film dramatically shows you just how really, really lousy a movie can get! First, the so called "story" is limp... and come to think of it, so is everything else! Gay encounters are a la commercial films wherein the "connection" is hidden by camera angle, fades, darkness, etc.
TLA reviewers: You really OWE us one on this! Your review must have been written while enjoying some of that special stuff from Mexico. The movie stinks!

By: Nympho

It was nothing like TLAV's perspective on it. In a nut shell... I did like the movie. It was about prison love and almost like it is now in prison "just not as rough per se'". I liked the nudity to bad it wasn't what I had hoped for in the department. But that could have been drawn out more. But all in all It was about a prisoner that finds faith and god while doing his time for murder falls in love with a priest and tries to help a young boy in jail. But you may do your time but karma isn't done with you. It was a rough movie but I for sure didn't like the title for the movie. I am not giving it away. I would buy it for my DVD Collection. If your into the darker things in prison love, , the real deal life type this is probably as good as it gets or you check out OZ. A lot more nudity and all men jail. Prison love and doing what you can to survive.

By: FilmLover

Cannot agree more with the two reviews below - "painful to watch" and 'there are just too many things wrong with this movie." It prevented me from even considering renting 'Shank" because I can't imagine it could be a good film if the follow-up was THIS bad.

Horrible script, bad acting, listless photography, crap production design, typical gay ghetto nudity (in prison, how original), and a howler of an ending that insults everyone connected to either making the film or the gullible who watched the film, myself included. If only 'director prison' were a real thing, because these two should not be allowed to be behind a camera for a few years until they get it together. A flop of epic proportions.

So, yeah, don't rent it. And for the love of God, don't buy it.

By: Latisha Ebersole

There are just too many things wrong with this movie except for the erotic cover art work. There is the unnecessary breaks in the story line by too many flah-backs during in a random way, there is the lack of character development except perhaps for the evil prisoner who miraculously seems to be everywhere, there is at times no character development (the warden is patheticly unbelievable), there is no culmination at the end, predictable, and the whole film is very surreal and unbelievable; I want my 87 minutes back!

By: Brockstar

By: AHiLife

After him & his lover walked off into the sunset together ( which for some odd reason does NOT happen in a plurality of "gay"themed movies) you'll find him here.Imprisoned. He's now a convicted crack dealer, who for some unexplainable reason, is sadistically set upon by the prison bad-asses. After suffering horrific beatings, he manages to rise again, as a -addled psychopathic killer, who is now channeled to do the bidding of those far more violent than him, but for some unexplained reason, need him to execute their bidding.
This movie makes no sense at all, it seems to introduce greater levels of violence for no explainable reasons, and just is flat-out, in my opinion, a seemingly contractually obligated second movie, by those involved in the making of Shank.
I realize Wayne is not the title character here, but he is the one I bought the movie because of.
I could go on & on about how strained all of the plots & story lines & characters in this movie are. But, it would be easier to say, it all bordered on cliche.Wayne was stellar in Shank. A dark & honest commentary on todays youth & culture. Buy IT!
Release, Rent it

By: Marty

By: looking4more

By: Amos Lassen

"Release"





Moving and Powerful






Amos Lassen




Father Jack (Daniel Brocklebank) is imprisoned for a crime that he has committed. The inmates suspect him of and make trouble for him by beginng to persuade his teenage cellmate that this is true (although it is not). His true crime is confessed to a prison guard with whom Jack has fallen in love

Father Jack's real crime is lot reveled to us until near the end of the film. While in prison he falls for a prison guard, Martin, (Garry Summers).The script is well written and the skillfully woven narrative cleverly combines all manner of devices from dream sequences, to flash-backs and flash-forwards that keep you guessing right up until the end. The film is original and contemporary raising some important issues. The two men, Martin and Jack maintain a honest love affair even though Jack's fellow inmates believe that he is a . They are determined to use prison justice against him.
There are a lot of surprises in this very tense film. We see the issues of faith and the power of the mob. We also see religious hypocrisy in the film .
The performances are uniformly superb, Daniel Brocklebank, Bernie Hodges, Garry Summers all bringing believable characters and the situation that they find themselves in to life. This is not easy viewing and is at times very disturbing. All we really know at the beginning is that Jack, an incarcerated priest is involved in a sexual relationship with one of the prison guards. We do not know the nature pf the priest's crime or how the two men came together. They find in each other some relief from the environment they are in. There are also views on some current social issues.
While Jack wrestles with his crime and a faith that says his relationship with Martin is wrong, He tries to atone for his past actions by taking his young, troubled cell-mate under his wing, saving him from a beating by the prison's creepy, latex glove wearing gang leader, Max (Bernie Hodges). This is a man who proves, in vintage James Bond villain style, that you can be quiet and menacing at the same time, as long as you have a bunch of thugs to do your dirty work.
Daniel Brocklebank convinces as the tormented priest and amazingly this is only Garry Summer's second film. They have good chemistry and you'll be routing for the two gay lovers, hoping they can overcome all the obstacles in their way and make it to a happy ending, despite the sense of impending doom.
Co-directors and co-writers Christian Martin and Darren Flaxstone have made good on their promise to produce movies that raise the bar for independent gay cinema. "Release" is a film for the brain as well as the senses.