Pacing the Cage (2014)

The moment Max Lyons steps out of prison and enters in to the world, not only is his life on the line, but his soul is too. He’s still a very weathered prisoner who is a victim to his drug addiction, and his grasp for a normal life is hopelessly out of his reach. Lyons is one of the many poor ex-convicts hanging on by a thread, and director E.B. Hughes’ crime drama about a man fighting for his soul is a brilliant take on what is typically a tired sub-genre of dramas.

“Pacing the Cage” is a briskly paced and well written tale of Max Lyons, a convict released from jail after dealing drugs. Released in to a boarding house infamous for suicides by ex-convicts, he begins looking for a way to restart his life, even at the mercy of his drug habit. An old drug dealing friend named Lucius has just found out Max is out of prison and wants to collect on the twenty grand he owes him. Now Max has to scramble to evade Lucius while trying to prevent slipping back in to jail.

“Pacing the Cage” doesn’t just feature a character struggling to keep his life, but also trying to rebuild it after prison. That’s filled with a lot of hard ships and pit falls, and Max is constantly looking for new avenues, and always coming up short. Star Denny Bess gives an outstanding performance as this every man reaching the end of his rope even before he steps out of prison. Bess’s portrayal as this man struggling to keep his humanity in tact is impressive, offering an empathetic gentle giant who is sincerely interested in redemption, but has no idea how to begin the journey.

Even when he falls prey to his addiction, Bess pours immense heart in to the character to where we can empathize with his awful addiction that continues impeding his road to normality. Director Hughes successfully creates a fantastic tale of redemption and search for salvation with a tight budget that only helps to elevate the grit and dread of Max’s mission to happiness, and it’s highly recommended.