‘Behind bars there is no mercy’
The System is a 2022 American prison-based action film about a young soldier, newly returned from war, who gets caught up in a drug bust.
Written and directed by Dallas Jackson (Welcome to Sudden Death; Thriller). Co-produced by Bryan Lord and Deborah Moore.
The movie stars Tyrese Gibson (Morbius; Rogue Hostage; Transformers franchise; Fast and Furious franchise), Terrence Howard, Jeremy Piven, Lil Yachty, Ric Reitz, Caleb Spillyards, David Joseph Martinez and Laura Aleman.
Plot synopsis:
When a young soldier Terry Savage (Tyrese Gibson), newly returned from a war zone, gets caught up in a drug bust, he is recruited by the authorities to go undercover in a notoriously dangerous prison to investigate what is really going on behind the scenes.
When Savage discovers an underground prisoner fighting ring, the warden forces him to compete. In order to win his freedom, he must fight to stay alive as well as take down the warden’s corrupt system. ..
Release date:
In the US, The Avenue released The System theatrically in select locations on October 28, 2022, and then On-Demand (VOD) on November 4.
Reviews:
“Jackson can often overcompensate to enhance his material, including the inclusion of grating score choices that awkwardly subtract from the film’s gritty environment. The film also endures some inconsistencies in execution, with a few stiff dialogue exchanges and a lack of nuance ultimately limiting the material’s upside. Still, The System discovers its comfort zone as an agreeable action throwback.” Battle Royale with Cheese
“How Terry works heroically to clean things up by turning every prisoner against the ‘system’ makes for an unbelievable resolution (though it imitates many similar recent prison pics). Unimpressive and predictable violence and death scenes pave the way for resolving the cliched and fractured narrative.” Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
” …The System ends up being a movie that can be watched, but it will probably disappoint a great part of its audience. There are so many better options out there if what you want is a great action movie. This is not one of them. The ending just serves to cement the movie as something that was not well done throughout.” 4 out of 10, Fiction Horizon
“Nothing here means much or comes to any kind of intriguing fruition, and the scenes of hand-to-hand combat are pedestrian at worst and vaguely competent at best. The most that can be said about The System is that it passes by quickly. That doesn’t quite make up for the mystery of why anyone bothered to make it.” 20% Spectrum Culture
“Weighing it all out, The System has enough competently staged fights to put it ahead of a lot of lower-budgeted action films. And if that’s all you’re looking for and came tune out the film’s issues, this should keep you satisfied.” 3 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
“The System does have its fair share of action that action seekers will probably enjoy short term but will quickly be forgotten, even the prison scenes weren’t really anything new. Acting was good by Priven as one would expect. Tyrese Gibson, who many will recognise from The Fast & Furious franchise also plays his role well in what is a dull outing that lacks freshness and any new ideas.” 2 out of 5, Which Film
YouTube reviews:
Official trailer:
Official red band trailer:
