Tyrese Gibson, Terrence Howard Highlight the Need for Prison Reform in New Movie 'The System'

The System is a new action movie starring Hollywood superstars Tyrese Gibson and Terrence Howard, but like other genre films before it, the Dallas Jackson-directed film has a bigger message.

The System tells the story of retired marine Terry Savage (Gibson) who would do anything to save his daughter, including robbing drug houses to pay for her medical treatment. When Savage gets caught, he’s offered a chance at redemption by the local police commissioner to get his daughter the care she needs in exchange for infiltrating a private prison and exposing the corruption that’s headed by a sadistic warden Lucas Fisher (Jeremy Piven).

On his first night inside, Savage is attacked by one of the prison gangs but saved by another inmate, Bones (Howard), an OG of the prison, who decides to teach Savage some unique martial arts skills. When the warden recruits Savage for The Dungeon, his vicious underground fight ring, hosted by a deranged inmate, Joker (Lil Yachty), Savage must fight for his life against ruthless and bloodthirsty inmates. With help from Bones, Savage must capture incriminating evidence while trying to stay alive and get back to his daughter. But when the trusted man who sent him turns out to be part of the problem, Savage exposes the corruption by eventually turning all the prisoners against the system resulting in a violent action-packed prison riot that leaves many dead.

With a plot that has many twists and turns, The System exposing the need for prison reform comes during a time where the topic is constantly in the news cycle, as Black and brown men continue to suffer at the hands of our justice department. "This story tells us that we are failing society when we have systems like this," Howard told The Quintessential Gentleman during our chat about his latest film. "The prison system is the modernized, legalized, slavery," he explained.

Showing the ugliness of the prison system was on the mind of writer and director, Jackson. "The general idea of The System has been with me since growing up listening to conscious hip-

hop groups like Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions and X-Clan. Then, in my college years at Howard University, I started to have this idea about making a dent in American institutions built on the enslavement of Black people," Jackson said.

For Gibson this was also a chance to show Hollywood that stories that reflect our society matters. "Our gifts and our talents belong to the world, outside of what Hollywood thought," he mentioned.

Learn more about The System in our chat below with the stars alongside Emmy-winner Jeremy Piven. The movie hits theaters October 28 and on demand November 4.