“Z.K.” is not a black film about how hard it is in prison. But it is difficult to call the film an inspiring story about the escape, although here all the events count down to the day of liberation. We are not talking about a unique situation in prison or even about adventures without the guilt of the guilty. The drama "Z.K." is a thoughtful film for brooding introverted viewers in the mood for a mediative study of the mores of American dungeons. A less fascinating tale than other prison stories is built around an interesting artistic move: most extras are made up of real prisoners. Alas, such an authentic approach does not combine into something strong because of the weak soul of the script.
Let’s take at least the basic premise. The main character named Louis is the same “con” made in the title. A former prison gang leader, Louis lives in a cell for the last days of his sentence. The path to freedom was thorny: first sentenced to 60 (!) years, the protagonist for good behavior reduced the time of imprisonment to 24. It seems that the hero is finally desperate to “decline”, but freedom is so close. Eventually, Louis begins an existential crisis over whether he can (and should) survive in the free world. And with the “prison” side of the issue is not so simple: a cunning guard puts pressure on Louis, using his quick exit as a tool of pressure, and the convict himself is also trying to teach the mind-mind to “came” to the “house” young Beecher.
It is easy to imagine the same film in a more ... gangster action form, the benefit of the title obliges. Yes, Louis might well wake up in a cold sweat from every rustle, wrestling with the moral dilemma around which the script is built. The creators of Z.K. took a different, more sophisticated path. The main motive of the plot, i.e. the release of Louis, turned into some inevitable trouble. The development of events forces the protagonist to act, react, make contradictory decisions. The real problem is not with the young bull. Beecher or other inmates, and not even with Louis, who's worried. Z.K. is primarily a film about life, but as if that life were confined to a small camera. The realities and limitations of the prison world are shown in the correct form: the futility of the existence of these people, for whom there is no worse prison than the prison of reason.
Alas, this interesting idea is presented quite blandly. "Z.K." is more like the daily chronicle of an elderly prisoner than a violent crisis. Louie is an elderly man and a major player in local prison politics, but his character doesn’t really emerge during the film. Interesting twists and turns about where power can lead a person are omitted for the sake of self-assertion of dramatic potential. Such modesty lacks big speeches and spectacular emotional engagement. In part, this can be justified by a bet on realism, but the heroes-prisoners represented in Z.K. are not remembered and do nothing interesting. In many ways, the most intriguing element of implementation, i.e., the very participation of real prison inmates in the film, leads to the main drawback: the lack of desire of the audience to ask questions about the prison system, which would inevitably arise when the plot of “Z.K.” was implemented in a brighter wrapper.
Although the idea of the creators was noble, it was Jeffrey Wright – the main “brick” of the film’s foundation. His Louis is filled with emotions that are wisely not displayed. The actor's eyes show fatigue and nervousness as he tries to accept reality. In general, focusing on it allows the viewer to associate himself with this strong person.
Z.K. is hardly suitable for easy, unobtrusive viewing: the script spends too much time thinking about choice, fate, and redemption. The slow and, if you think about it, simple film is only a declaration of the opinion of American liberals about the modern penitentiary system that for some viewers it will only look gray, boring and not very useful, although cinematically Z.K. has nothing to blame: talented people were involved in the creation of the film.
6 out of 10