Written by Jeremie Delon and Kim Chapiron and directed by French filmmaker Kim Chapiron, Dog Pound is being touted as the Scum for the new millennium, though whether that reflects critical and audience reaction or the imagination of the PR people is uncertain, though over at The Independent, Anthony Quinn does suggest that "the ghost of Alan Clarke's Scum makes its presence felt in this lowering tale of a youth correctional facility in the American Midwest." Whether it's as hard hitting and as generally marvellous is another matter entirely.

The film is set in a young offenders institute for teenage boys that the system doesn't know what to do with. The long-term inmates have built a rigid power structure based on fear and the guards use the prisoners to let out their own frustrations. Butch, Davis and Angel are new arrivals. They have never met before but they all soon realize that the odds are stacked against them and that their only hope for getting through their sentences is if they watch each others' backs. But friendship will only get them so far when their endurance is stretched to the limit...

Certainly sounds familiar, but Kim Chapiron over at Alone in the Dark suggests "the sobering conclusion is that for all the good intentions, one way or another through circumstance, bad luck or their own actions, the system will consume these boys, and it's this that leaves Dog Pound bleakly memorable."

Dog Pound will be released on 3rd January 2011 by Optimum Home Entertainment at the RRP of £15.99 for the DVD and £19.99 for the Blu-ray. Extras will include the following:

• Cast and crew interviews;
• The tour;
• Trailer.