This opens tough but swiftly turns treacly, as lifer Lou Gossett is surprised to find that the new kid on his cell block (Blair Underwood) is his long-lost and long-neglected son.
After some hard-boiled prison stuff, the movie shifts into a premise that would work better as a sitcom than a supposedly straight drama with the two cons paroled on the condition they live together and stay straight, whereupon Gossett comes over all responsible and tries to keep the angry young man in line.
The bald pate Mr. Charisma is no sooner out in the real world than he has got off with Rae Dawn Chong and landed a good job, but Underwood, who has obviously overdosed on 'Hood moviez, drifts back into his old gang.