Sing Sing is one of those films that is truly inspiring. It’s a film heavily inspired by real-life events, and one of Colman Domingo’s best performances. There are a number of lessons that can be learned from Sing Sing, but for some, the ending may hold the film back. Let’s take a closer look in our full review of Sing Sing.
Some might think it would be difficult to relate to life in a maximum security prison. For those unaware, Sing Sing has little to do with singing, and is actually the name of a prison in New York. At the real Sing Sing prison, there’s a Rehabilitation Through the Arts program that has helped a number of inmates get through their time, and thrive after being released.
The film, Sing Sing, includes many real-life former inmates who were part of the program. If you didn’t know in advance that many of the actors were former inmates, you’d never be able to guess. Whether they had acting skills before their time in Sing Sing or not, they were convincing actors that stood toe to toe with Colman Domingo throughout the film.
Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin is one such former inmate, and plays himself in the film. He also helped craft the story of the movie, based on his own experiences at Sing Sing. He’s an imposing figure, but throughout the film you start to see a softer side to the once hardened criminal. The same can be said for Colman Domingo’s character, John “Divine G” Whitfield.
At the beginning of the film, Whitfield is one of the more positive inmates, just trying to make it to his next parole hearing. As the movie progresses, the story tears him down in both unique and predictable ways. All of this is elevated by Colman’s raw talent, as you begin to feel pain for this inmate, while also hating him for some of his actions. It’s one of the best tear down and rebuilding of a character we’ve seen in some time.
There’s a lot of heart to Sing Sing, calling back to memories of Shawshank Redemption where Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins made you truly care about the lives of fictional inmates. Sing Sing doesn’t quite reach the heights of Shawshank Redemption, but it comes fairly close, especially considering a bulk of the cast are not seasoned actors.
Where Sing Sing makes a minor stumble is in the ending. We won’t spoil anything here, but it feels more like a cliché ending than it probably should have been. Good, bad, or otherwise, the whole film spends ample time tearing down and building up characters, which just didn’t flow quite as well into the ending as the writers likely intended. It’s still a heart-warming film that deserves critical praise, but falls just short of greatness.
About Sing Sing
Synopsis: Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
Director: Greg Kwedar
Writers: John H. Richardson, Brent Buell, Clint Bentley
Stars: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San Jose
Runtime: 1 Hour, 45 Minutes
Rated: R
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
