Punishment Park

R

Released Mar 14, 1973

1h 28m

Drama

List

92%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

86%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

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.

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Judith Crist

New York Magazine/Vulture

The most offensive of the recent Festival films I have seen to date.

Jan 1, 2020

Full Review

J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Shot during the post-Kent State "law and order" election of 1970, Punishment Park can seem so outrageous as to verge on camp, but few other movies capture so painfully the rhetoric and desperation of the times.

May 11, 2010

Full Review

Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Punishment Park is told in the pseudo-documentary style that defines most of the obscure body of work by British filmmaker Peter Watkins.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 14, 2005

Full Review

Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

While certain aspects of Punishment Park may seem hilarious today, the film was undoubtedly frightening upon first release...

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Paul Dale

The List

Punishment Park is seminal political cinema of the highest order.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 25, 2019

Full Review

Naila Scargill

Trebuchet

Shot in cinéma-vérité style and presented as pseudo-documentary, its message is all the more powerful, resonating long after the credits have rolled.

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

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Audience Member

This mockumentary seemed real to us throughout the video. The images were very shocking and very real, which made us believe that it was a real documentary, directed by a producer. Indeed we could think that it was authentic because of the voices off and the monotonous tone of it. Some scenes have made us very angry, such as the scene where the black man sees himself cut off, even prevented from speaking, or the scene where a woman is ejected from the courtroom to calm down.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

this film is very good because it allows us to have culture without forgetting that it is a mockumentary the scenes that take place are really very interesting I rather liked to see this film

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is a mockumentary. The concept isn't idiot : resistents protest against the Vietnam war. They chose to run in the desert to avoid the prison. But the movie is really long : it is just peuple Who run during one hours.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'm sorry but I doesn't like this movie, because it's a little bit boring and very long. What's more it's always the same things during 1 hours they don't change of landscape just the desert and the exam room. But it's so interest to see that the director of this movie managed to make us believe that it's true and it's a real story. But no it's false and I think that even if I doesn't like the film, it is very strong.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Punishment Park" is a good mockumentary that denounces the gouvernement of the USA. Also the fact that the characters are real opponents, adds realism to the mockumentary. However, it's long so it can be quite boring. Yuna and Ilonie

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really liked this film, this mockumentary was very realistic, which reinforced my appreciation of the work. The only fault I found with it was that it was a little too long but other than that, the actors acted very well and the story was captivating. I recommend everyone to watch this film, because despite the violence, the subject is still very interesting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Peter Watkins

Director

Paul Alelyanes

Policeman

Carmen Argenziano

Jay Kaufman, Tribunal Defendant

Stan Armsted

Charles Robbins

Harold Beaulieu

Desert Militant

Jim Bohan

Sheriff's Department captain

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Peter Watkins
Screenwriter: Peter Watkins
Distributor: Canyon Cinema
Production Co: Chartwell
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 14, 1973, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 27, 2016
Runtime: 1h 28m