Chaindance

Directed by:  Allan A. Goldstein
Starring:  Michael Ironside, Rae Dawn Chong, Brad Dourif
Running Time: 1h 36min

One has to love what this film was trying to accomplish, a drama where a hardened inmate reconciles with an inmate of another sorts, a man hospitalized with cerebral palsy.  The performances are as good as one could expect from B-list actors, enough to make it enjoyable and believable.  Unfortunately, there are cliched moments and a completely unnecessary subplot just to spice up the sex and violence quota.  If the film had stuck to the core it would have been more rewarding.  That aside, Ironside gets to play a better role than he's usually reduced to.  He sinks into the role and gives us the transformation the character needs but I can't help but see the Nicholson in his appearance and acting.  A nice film that needed better direction.

Grade: C+