Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Three juvenile delinquents arrive at a correctional center and are put under the care of an experienced guard.
Dog Pound is a gritty, unflinching look at life inside a juvenile detention facility, drawing obvious comparisons to Scum (1979) which it effectively remakes in a Canadian setting. The performances from the young cast are raw and credible, and the direction maintains a tense, naturalistic atmosphere throughout. Cinematography is functional and appropriately bleak without being particularly distinctive. The plot follows a fairly predictable escalation of violence and power dynamics within the institution, offering little that hasn't been seen in the prison drama genre. The ending is suitably bleak and consistent with the film's pessimistic tone but doesn't subvert expectations. Its derivative nature relative to Scum keeps Novelty low despite solid overall craft.