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73% Critic Match
Punishment Park
“One of the most controversial films ever made.”
7.3 / 10• 1971• 1h 28m•R• English
DramaThriller
Storyline
In this fictional documentary, U.S. prisons are at capacity, and President Nixon declares a state of emergency. All new prisoners, most of whom are connected to the antiwar movement, are now given the choice of jail time or spending three days in Punishment Park, where they will be hunted for sport by federal authorities. The prisoners invariably choose the latter option, but learn that, between the desert heat and the brutal police officers, their chances of survival are slim.
Cast & Crew
PB
Patrick Boland
Tribunal Defendant
Lead
Carmen Argenziano
Jay Kaufman (Tribunal Defendant)
Kent Foreman
Lee Robert Brown (Tribunal Defendant)
LJ
Luke Johnson
William Luke Valerio (Tribunal Defendant)
KQ
Katherine Quittner
Nancy Jane Smith (Tribunal Defendant)
ST
Scott Turner
James Arthur Kohler (Tribunal Defendant)
SA
Stan Armsted
Charles Robbins (Tribunal Defendant)
ME
Mary Ellen Kleinhall
Allison Mitchner (Tribunal Defendant)
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Peter Watkins's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Punishment Park is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
