Movie Review: O.G. (2018)
Should you lose your freedom to save someone's soul?
Summary 🎥
After twenty-four years in prison, Louis is weeks away from release in the film O.G. (2018).
Time winds down as Louis awaits release from prison. He is attacked and then becomes a mentor to a young, reckless inmate named Beecher. Louis navigates prison politics while attempting to steer Beecher in the right direction. But despite his best efforts, Beecher faces a serious problem and turns to the O.G. for help. Louis must decide to either help the new inmate or turn away.
Will Louis be able to save Beecher and still be set free from prison?
Upside 👍
O.G. avoids most of the prison movie tropes and focuses on great storytelling.
If you've seen any prison movies, you know the tropes I'm talking about. Nonstop violence, assault, and torture are the norm for these movies, but not here. Louis earnestly seeks redemption for his past life while dealing with the uncertainty of returning to the world after twenty-four years. He himself is fulfilling the broken promise of the justice system by correcting himself, growing, seeking healing, and trying to guide others away from street life. It's a keen look into someone evolving while the world around them continues never to change.
It's a well-acted, introspective story about a man changing despite the traps of the system.
Downside 👎
O.G. is a heavy dialogue driven film.
This maybe a deal breaker for some people. There are moments of action weaved through the story but it isn’t often. Most of the tension comes from the story building up the conflicts that Louis face. To me, this is amazing story telling and adds to the movie. Other than this, I have no real issues with O.G.
More action could help but it would need to be balanced with the pacing of the story.
By the way 🤔
SPOILER: There is a discussion about the ending. If you want to avoid any reference to it, skip to the verdict section.
Regret & Redemption
When Louis becomes a better man, he regrets his crimes.
When he was young, he went down the wrong path to become an uncaring murderer. Now, he is reading the book War Against the Weak to understand how he ended up in prison. Louis even agrees to speak with the sister of the man he killed, hoping for any measure of forgiveness. These steps show that Louis has changed from the man he was in his early prison life. Louis's change enhances his guilt, and it still weighs on him.
Louis is providing the guidance to Beecher, which he has never received.
He sees himself in Beecher. An angry and misguided young man throwing his life away for nothing. Louis shares how his only friend in prison killed himself after learning he would never be released, but it falls on deaf ears. Louis desperately wants to save Beecher because he desperately wants to be saved.
Louis's failure to save Beecher was a painful reminder of how he himself was not savable when young.
Verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
O.G. (2018) is an excellent story of regret and redemption.
The movie has excellent storytelling and enough action to keep you engaged. It takes a deeper look at the circumstances and pressures that may lead to someone becoming an inmate and their journey to become a better man. The film isn't preachy. It doesn't say how to fix the prison system. It simply shows the environment from a long-term point of view.
It's definitely worth the watch, even without three hots and a cot. 👮🏿