masonfisk 13th is Ava Duvernay's follow-up to Selma & what a thought provoking indictment of the American penal system it is. Like a permanent lump in the throat, this visual thesis posits continuing slavery in the US, even though it's not referred to in name, as our prison system continues to have its fill w/people of color. We have the usual barrage of talking heads, historical footage & factoids sprawled across the screen but the urgency of the message & recent history lend considerable credence to this doc's claims.

The Couchpotatoes This documentary is well-made even though it made me really angry and sad. Not that I didn't know how things are handled in America. I've been enough to that country to know how people think and are over there. Not that everybody is the same, far from that, but besides the beautiful country it is for nature, the uglier it is for their white patriotism and racism against everything that is not white as them. The negative reviews this documentary gets are for 100% sure coming from those same white patriots, or the richer republican bourgeoisie, people with no feelings about real life. I've traveled a lot in my life and I never been in a country with more patriotic flags attached to their house. Patriots that think they know it all and need to teach the rest of the world how you should live. Well they couldn't be more wrong about the standards and morals of life. America, land of the free, it's just the most absurd thing to say. Free for the rich yes, but the rest are seen as pariah. If you are rich and guilty of a crime you get away with in America, but if you are innocent and poor your chances are as good as non-existant to be judge a free man. I'm married to an American, and she's my true love, but I will be damned if I ever set foot again in that biased country. That people vote for a racist sexist like Trump says enough about that country. You can think of me what you want, I couldn't care less, I live in the real land of the free, where all people are equal. It doesn't matter what color they are. Justice is here the same for everybody. This documentary should be mandatory in every school and household in America, maybe then people will open their eyes. Even though the vast majority of the patriots will never change their redneck mind.

pensacolacomputer This documentary is one (very small) side to the story, but the other side is that statistics don't lie. I know a lot of black people blame the whites for all their problems and not take responsibility for their actions but they need to wake up. Educate yourself. Why are so many in jail? Trust me, not even .01% is because of racial injustice. Does prejudice exist? Sure. On BOTH sides.So why blame the whites? They did not put that gun in your hand, or make you smoke that drug, or make you not study in school, etc.. I do believe a lot has to do with the parents and the way people are raised but that is another topic for another time.So start being an upstanding member of society, and I guarantee you, people will start treating you that way. ALL LIVES MATTER.

Michael_Elliott 13th (2016) *** (out of 4)Extremely well-made, if one-sided, documentary that takes a look at the 13th Amendment and the mass incarceration that many claims is haunting this country. The documentary takes a look at the prison system in America and we see how the populations in prison have gone up through each of the last five decades. We see the political punches that were thrown by Reagan, Bush and Clinton and how people hope things can be changed.In today's day and age it's hard to find a documentary that is fair or balanced because filmmakers have a cause when they make movies and they want to throw all of their opinions and facts into what they're trying to push. 13 is an extremely well-made movie and for the first hour it's an extremely balanced movie. With that said, the final half hour goes completely off the mark but we'll get to that in a bit.As far as the film goes, it does a terrific job at showing the prison system and how so many more people are now behind bars. The documentary did a great job at going decade to decade showing the various laws that opened the prison doors including the "Three Strikes and You're Out" policy and why many people are serving life sentences for minor crimes. All of this is brilliantly told and the way the evidence is laid out was wonderfully done.With that said, the final portion of the film turns into a more Liberal documentary where the likes of Michael Brown and others are brought up. We're told about how awful this country is and how people of color are being terrorized. Well, we know Michael Brown never had his hands up. Yet that is never mentioned here. We're constantly told about how crime rates are falling yet this documentary never talks about the locations where crimes rates are going sky high. There's no mention of Chicago. The film also fails to really make a point that if you didn't commit a crime to begin with then you won't have to worry about the system. It seems this documentary wants to take away any punishment for those who commit crimes.