Chattahoochee (1989) review

On Valentine's Day in 1955, Korean War veteran Emmett Foley (Gary Oldman) steps outside his home and begins firing a pistol at various objects in his neighborhood and then turns the weapon on himself - after he recovers, he's sentenced to stay at the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee where he and others are routinely tortured (some are killed by the staff) and have to live in decrepit conditions so, with the assistance of his sister Earlene (Pamela Reed), Emmett starts writing letters to enact change.  It's "inspired" by the real-life story of Chris Calhoun and while the two main subjects being covered are of the utmost importance - prison reform and the need for proper treatment of the mentally ill (Foley has what we'd now call post-traumatic stress disorder) - this movie does not contain a single ounce of restraint, concentrating mainly on the sensational aspects of the situation: the lack of adequate sanitation (everything is filthy), cramped sleeping quarters and constant abuse from the guards before Foley (whose wife gets pregnant by another man) is "redeemed" and carried out in a Jesus Christ pose.  However, it's worth noting that Oldman's performance is superb, and the bond he forms with fellow inmate Walker (Dennis Hopper) is so compelling one might be tempted to conveniently "overlook" that Walker's crime is acting as an "accessory to rape" and hope he's not going to be a repeat offender.