I had never seen the play performed on stage, but I do own the play script and read it many times, it is one of my favorite plays. I also own the DVD of the film.
Miguel Pinero is the author and he appears in the film as Go Go, a character not in the play. Pinero did not act in the Broadway version. The Go Go character plants a shank on another prisoner, which does not make him popular with the other inmates. They take some revenge on him by breaking his arm, we don't see him again.
Some of the actors who were in the Broadway version recreate their roles here" Joseph Carberry as Longshoe Murphy, an tough Irish inmate Robert Maroff as Mr Nett, the guard who hates the Clark Davis character as much as the prisoners, as he says his own daughter was molested. Tito Goya as Cupcakes, a young prisoner who gets unwanted attention from the more predatory inmates.
Two actors with more movie experience have the pivotal roles of Clark Davis (Bruce Davison) the suspected child molester and Juan (Jose Perez) the prison trusty who acts as the moral center of the piece. They have a great scene together, the film took a awhile to get going but it becomes riveting from this moment on. When Clark tells Juan he doesn't remember if he did the crime he is now in jail for, he also confesses that he has done things like it in the past. Juan is disgusted but does come to see Clark as a sick but pathetic person. When the other inmates get together to kill Clark, Juan is the only one against it. the murder is not shown but it is still hard to watch.
There is a scene in the play after the murder in which the top officer Capt Allard interviews each inmate on what happened. In the film he just addresses the whole gang at once, telling them that Clark was innocent of the charge as the victim identified several other men as the attacker. Even though he may not be guilty this time, Juan is the only one who knows of his past.
The film is very good but I also recommend finding and reading the original play.
Miguel Pinero is the author and he appears in the film as Go Go, a character not in the play. Pinero did not act in the Broadway version. The Go Go character plants a shank on another prisoner, which does not make him popular with the other inmates. They take some revenge on him by breaking his arm, we don't see him again.
Some of the actors who were in the Broadway version recreate their roles here" Joseph Carberry as Longshoe Murphy, an tough Irish inmate Robert Maroff as Mr Nett, the guard who hates the Clark Davis character as much as the prisoners, as he says his own daughter was molested. Tito Goya as Cupcakes, a young prisoner who gets unwanted attention from the more predatory inmates.
Two actors with more movie experience have the pivotal roles of Clark Davis (Bruce Davison) the suspected child molester and Juan (Jose Perez) the prison trusty who acts as the moral center of the piece. They have a great scene together, the film took a awhile to get going but it becomes riveting from this moment on. When Clark tells Juan he doesn't remember if he did the crime he is now in jail for, he also confesses that he has done things like it in the past. Juan is disgusted but does come to see Clark as a sick but pathetic person. When the other inmates get together to kill Clark, Juan is the only one against it. the murder is not shown but it is still hard to watch.
There is a scene in the play after the murder in which the top officer Capt Allard interviews each inmate on what happened. In the film he just addresses the whole gang at once, telling them that Clark was innocent of the charge as the victim identified several other men as the attacker. Even though he may not be guilty this time, Juan is the only one who knows of his past.
The film is very good but I also recommend finding and reading the original play.