Sing Sing Review – Excellent Prison Drama, Strong Story Driven Performances

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Category: Film

Published on Wednesday, 12 February 2025 12:15

Written by Janet Walker

Sing Sing, from A24, presents an intimate prison drama that focuses on a troupe of men who have found their escape through the prison drama group, until a series of events challenges the bond that held them together.

The film begins with John 'Divine G' Whitfield, played by Colman Domingo, on stage delivering an excellent King Lear monologue. Minutes later, the curtain rises and the men take their bow. We see a makeshift theater, folding chairs, in a large open room, and then we are backstage as we see the men in their prison uniforms.

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The next day, the group comes together and clearly Divine G is the leader. Along with the other inmates, Mike Mike, played by Sean San Jose, David Giraudy, Patrick Griffen, Mosi Eagle, James Williams and Sean Dino Johnson, all formerly incarcerated actors, and playing themselves. The group is reviewing the names of fellow prisoners who have expressed interest in joining the club. The prison drama club is a sanctuary for the inmates, a place where they can free, for a short time, from the confines of the prison walls.

The name of Divine Eye, played by Clarence Maclin, comes up and Divine G and Mike Mike meet with him in the yard to talk about auditioning. Divine Eye, like everyone, has a side hustle, and if he isn't paid, he doesn't send the enforcer, he is the enforcer. The guys are somewhat hesitant but decide to give him a chance anyway.

So, for the next performance, the club's director Brent Buell, played by Paul Raci, arrives and while they are all trying to decide what play to perform next, they decide on a mash-up with some Shakespeare and both Divine G and Divine Eye read for the Henry the 8th role. Both are very good, and surprisingly Divine Eye is given the lead.

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During this time, Divine G is preparing for another parole hearing. We understand his backstory, he is serving time for a murder that he didn't commit, and we also understand he has been diligently working on gathering the evidence and finally we find there is a tape that exonerates him.

As time passes, he and Divine Eye become friendlier, and Divine G helps him believe in the possibility of life outside the prison walls and helps him submit a parole request. When it comes time for his own parole hearing, we understand the truth of incarceration. Once the system has you, it will take the jaws of life to get you out, especially if you are innocent.  In a turn of fate, Divine Eye is paroled, and Divine G is denied.

One night Divine G and Mike Mike, whose cells are side by side, are talking into the night and on this night, the end of their conversation seems natural. By morning we realize Mike Mike has died.

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The series of events causes Divine G to spin out of control which ushers in the final act.

Sing Sing is a true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors who deliver excellent performances. Both Colman Domingo and newcomer Clarence Maclin are impressive.

Sing Sing has been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards. Colman Domingo has been nominated for Best Lead Performance and Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin has been nominated for Best Supporting Performance and Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, and Monique Walton, the film's producers, are nominated for Best Feature.

Extraordinary, and noteworthy, Sing Sing is a must see.

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Country: U.S.

Language: English.

Runtime: 107 minutes.

Director: Greg Kwedar.

Producer: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton.

Executive Producer: Colman Domingo, Raul Domingo, Michael Heimler, Larry Kalas, Larry Kelly, Clarence Maclin, Nancy Schafer, Teddy Schwarzman, John Divine G Whitfield.

Writer: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar,

Story by: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence 'Divine Eye' Maclin, John Divine G Whitfield, John H. Richardson, Brent Buell.

Cast: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San Jose, Paul Raci, David Giraudy, Patrick Griffin, Mosi Eagle, James Williams, Sean Dino Johnson, Brent Buell, Michael Capra, Joanna Chan, Cecily Lynn, Johnny Simmons, Katherine Vockins, Reynaldo Gayle, Sharon Washington, Dario Pena, Miguel Valentin, Jon-Adrian Velazquez, Pedro Cotto, Camillo Lovacco, Cornell Alston, John Divine G Whitfield. 

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.