A flawed attempt at a prison noir, CONDITION RED promises something intriguing but fails to deliver on it. Based on a real-life story, it's just a simple tale of a driven woman, a bad guy and a fall guy.
Volatile corrections officer Dan Capelli (James Russo) works in a Philadelphia prison. He lives, he claims, "between two worlds, one inside and one outside." Capelli feels just as much a prisoner as the inmates he is in charge of, as if here were in what correction officers call "Condition Red," a
state of alarm. After one too many violent attacks upon the men he guards, Capelli is transferred to the women's section of the penitentiary. He develops an interest in beautiful and sensitive Gidell (Cynda Williams), a first-time offender. With few words exchanged, they begin a secret affair,
full of broom-closet trysts. Gidell is offered parole in exchange for evidence against her cocaine-dealing boyfriend, Angel (Paul Calderon), but she refuses.
When Angel suspects Gidell of having a prison affair, he gets rough with her. In revenge, the hot-tempered Capelli beats Angel up. Capelli gets suspended, and the lovers dream of each other, but can't seem to communicate, even during their stolen phone calls. When Gidell tells Capelli she's
pregnant by him, he impulsively busts her out. While holed up in a motel on their way to Mexico, Gidell betrays her captor-liberator by calling Angel. Angel orders Gidell to tie Capelli up and the three of them drive off.
Capelli breaks free and attacks Angel. Although he tries to leave Gidell, he is unable to. At the airport, the couple is once again found by Angel, who is being followed by some criminals who have a vested interest in his business. In a shoot-out, both Angel and Gidell are killed. Shocked but
resigned, Capelli drives off to Mexico, a hunted but free man.
CONDITION RED has a haunting quality that brings to mind better prison pictures like ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ and MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. Despite the film's budgetary limitations, Ken Kelsch's bare-boned cinematography makes the film surprisingly memorable. Russo gives an impressively restrained
performance, proving once again that he is a vastly under-appreciated actor.
Despite these positive aspects, however, the film falls apart by the end. Capelli and Gidell's relationship lacks any real dimension, and as a result the film never escapes its action-movie roots. (Violence, sexual situations, substance abuse, profanity.) leave a comment