Okay, so I saw a flick last night where half of it took place in a maximum security prison, here are some things I noticed...

* The more dangerous the place is, the fewer lights there are.  Even though this is the opposite of what a prison should be, you know the place is a squallid heck-hole when it's dark even in the middle of the day, a window creates an effect like a stage light, and one of the lights overhead flickers on and off.  I'd think if you had the craziest people all locked up in one place, yo'd make sure you can see them at all times.

* Grime.  Probably closer to reality than I'd think.  I always wonder if this is a case of location dictating style, they tend to make these movies in abandoned prisons and warehouses which typically aren't clean.

* You've got to fight to survive.  Never mind that "keep your head down and power through" rule, never mind prison is usually the most mind-numbingly boring place in the world, in this dark, squallid places, it's kill or be killed (and btw, it's fine if you kill people in these prisons).  Sometimes it's a tournament, half-dressed convicts grappling against each other until one's a bruised, bloody mess.  In the case of "Famel Convict Scorpion," it was in ankle-deep mud (no idea where the mud CAME from) with the prize being a swig of Jack Daniels hanging off an old rope.

* The Southern Warden.  This was a CHINESE movie and there was still a warden who looked like Col Sanders, what the heck?  Maybe it's like a "too good for this place" sort of thing, I dunno.