K-11

A successful record executive wakes up to find himself in a dormitory for homosexuals in a Los Angeles remand centre. It's a violent environment full of assault, rape, drugs and corruption. And so this is the premise for K-11. The film has been touched as edgy and hardcore... what a joke. It's not a bad film by any means but its far from edgy. In fact it's R rating is an over reaction. The story unfolds like a play and it would quite easily work on the stage and I guess its kind of like a junkie child of One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. It was directed by Jules Stewart (Kirsten's mum) who's been a Hollywood writer for 30 years. This is her directorial debut and for a first timer, its technically good. Being a seasoned writer, however, the same cannot be said about the script. The film's biggest let down is a cartoonish prison warden who facilitates an ongoing drug trade. The tone of his character doesn't sync up with the rest of the story. The other letdown is that it doesn't push the envelope enough. For a film that boasts being brutal and unexpected, it fails. Nothing is shown on camera and I got the feeling that producers bowed down to the censors. So at the end of the day it's no masterpiece but there is something about K-11 that works. I won't be rushing to watch it again but if you're stuck for something to watch and this presents itself, you may as well check it out. An added oddity was Australian actor/writer Matt Noble playing prison guard... random!

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