Shadowplayed Civil Death: In Roman law, a person convicted of a crime where the punishment included loss of their legal rights. A person without civil rights - a civil dead.The story set in high tech prison, in the middle of Australian desert, follows an outbreak of violent crimes that has resulted in total lock down. Director John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless, Proposition) combines narrative techniques in order to depict the chain of events in most realistic fashion. Very gruesome, depressive and claustrophobic tone of the film combined with scenes of violence makes this a good candidate for Extreme film lists. As you can imagine, Ghosts...is not an entertaining film, quite the contrary. Its raw, stripped, matter-of-fact cinematography rarely provides solace and sense of dread, panic and tension never quite ceases.The film is very offensive, sweaty, macho, filled with testosterone despair as much as the characters it follows around relentlessly, in an honest and not quite polished attempt to raise some important social questions. The fact it's based on real events makes it even more sickening.Most of us have seen good share of prison films, and you usually know what to expect. We know about rumors of drug smuggling, gangs, sexual assaults and all the other chilling stuff that follow these threatening institutions. But you usually don't get fed most intimate and gruesome of details you don't wanna know about when mainstream cinema's concerned. This film, however....thrives on it. We get sort of exclusive and non squeamish insight into inmates' every day life, with all the filth that follows.Nick Cave has co-written and played a small part here, as crazy Maynard. He also wrote the haunting score, that stresses the sense of paranoia and despair even more.With the help of camera's clinical precision we witness all the things we've been fearing exist within the walls of high security correctional institutions, and more. Rape, drug use, murder, suicide, beatings, you name it. But, there seems to be the point in displaying all the atrocities, even though the camera rarely insists on lingering onto scenes of violence, sometimes seems as if gets "forgotten", but even so, controlled. There is a political implication here. Apparently, the government has used the prison's clashes and state of complete lock down to justify the construction of even more high tech institutions. Men are being held in their cells and void of the recreation, TV and other pass times, so the anger builds leading to more violent outbursts. Prisoners are brought in and eventually released as even bigger danger to society than they were before. So, the circle of violence continues.Took me whole afternoon to finish this dramatic testimony and sort of brief anatomy of violence. In case you were wondering there are, and will be gorier, more graphic depictions of dark part of humanity. But rarely so stuffy, depressing and realistically brutal. You know the phrase some people use when they want to stress the filthiness of the video/film: "made me want to take a shower afterward". Well, this one sure did, testified!

sydneyswesternsuburbs Director John Hillcoat who also created the classic flick, The Proposition 2005 has created another gem in Ghosts of the Civil Dead.Starring the talented David Field who has also been in other classic flicks, West 2007, Feed 2005, Getting Square 2003, Chopper 2000, Two Hands 1999, Blackrock 1997 and another classic prison flick, Every night Every night 1995 as well as directing the classic flick, The Combination 2009 and co-directing and starring in another classic Aussie prison flick Convict 2014.Also starring Mike Bishop who has also been in other classic flicks, Ground Zero 1987 and Metal Skin 1994.Also starring Chris DeRose who was also in the classic flicks, Drive 1997 and Blue Tiger 1994.Also starring and written by musician Nick Cave who also wrote the screenplay for John Hillcoat's The Proposition as well as starring in the classic flick, Johnny Suede 1991. Also starring is musician Dave Mason from The Reels.I enjoyed the violence and the set designs.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic prison flicks, Dead Man Walking 1995, Das Experiment 2001, Felon 2008, Hard Justice 1995, Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS 1975, Island of Fire 1990, Life 1999, Love Camp 7 1969, Midnight Express 1978, Papillon 1973, Prison 1988, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky 1991, Scum 1979, Seed 2007, The Shawshank Redemption 1994, Stir 1980, Turkey Shoot 1982, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing 2006, Escape from New York 1981, Dog Pound 2010, Undisputed 3: Redemption 2010, Lockout 2012, Get the Gringo 2012, Offender 2012, Starred Up 2013 and Wilderness 2006.

Troy I was incarcerated at Parklea Prison the time this movie was screened. The movie portrays exactly what the administration and guards did to the prisoners prior to the great riot the year after at the prison. What a sense of irony that this movie should show what was happening in the prison system in NSW Australia at the time. The movie reflected the actual happenings down to the transfer of inmates that would cause trouble, and the taking of property to stir up trouble. Talking about de-ja-vu. The Australian movies of this type of genre(Prison), truly reflected the bastardisation of prisons. Other movies like Stir which starred Brian Brown also showed the extremes of what was happening behind the walls of gaols. I totally enjoyed the movie. They actually showed the movie in Parklea prison until the part of the beating of the prisoner, then they turned it off....I wonder why?

bacoda This film was screened on Australian TV when I was about 15. It's extremelly violent and psychological, a study in deprivation and pain. I mainly remember Nick Cave's performance (he co-wrote it). He plays a lunatic that get's moved to an already tense prison. His ranting and self-mutilation escalate the other prisoners sense of panic and chaos. Incredible acting and a very realistically frightening film. It's not fun, exciting or most things people look for as a distraction in modern day cinema, but if you're looking for something challenging and thought provoking it's well worth trying to find.