‘Sing Sing’ Review: A crowd-pleasing tale of hope

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie where everyone inside of the theater applauded at the end.

Suffice it to say, watching ‘Sing Sing’ in theaters was quite the experience.

The story, based off true events, revolves around a group of incarcerated men who put on a small theater production at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Colman Domingo plays John “Divine G” Whitfield and delivers a dense performance, bringing a calmed sadness to the role that is tested over the course of the film. For the record, Whitfield was imprisoned for a crime that he didn’t commit .

Domingo’s name is the headliner on the poster, but viewers will be hard pressed to walk away from this movie thinking that Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin was anything but the star of the show.

Maclin is one of several formerly incarcerated actors in the film who previously participated in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts Program at Sing Sing. In the film he steals every scene he’s in. By the end of the movie, we see a man whose heart has softened more than he could have ever expected. And that’s not to say that the movie is all about making the audience feel good or presenting a rose colored version of reality for the incarcerated.

The cinematography constantly shows the men in direct opposition to the outside world. There’s an evident shape language that’s presented to the viewer throughout to, showcasing squares, triangles, circles, all fixed shapes that represent the individuals statuses in society. We hear the stories of how these individuals are coping with the lost time, kids growing up, relationship with those on the outside tarnished, and ultimately the possibility that they may never see the light of day outside of the grounds of a prison. “Sing Sing” doesn’t shy away from any of that while also presenting a theme of hope.

This theme is shown in its most obvious as so much of the cast comprises of the formerly incarcerated. It’s hard to remove the characters from the reality of those “playing” them on the big screen, as it’s easy to see them as people who were incarcerated. But the movie also shows the other side of them, as people looking for an escape every now and then, and a chance to dream and make believe.

Click he r e for more information about the Rehabilitation Through the Arts Program.

Rating: R

Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes

Where to watch: The Neon

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