Two Lives Imprisoned by a Killing

If you’re going to make a movie about escaping the nightmare of prison, you might want to make sure there’s a real nightmare to escape.

In tonight’s made-for-television movie “Redeemer” (9 p.m., USA), Charles Henderson (Obba Babatunde) is a Black Panther who is jailed for being party to the inadvertent killing of an innocent man. For the next 20 years, Henderson’s yearning for parole is steadfastly opposed in a letter-writing campaign by the victim’s sister, Sharon Davidson (Michele Greene).

The movie makes it clear that Davidson’s obsession with keeping Henderson behind bars is an imprisoning burden for her as well. So when Paul Freeman (Matthew Modine) signs up as a writing teacher at Henderson’s prison, it soon becomes his task to set both Henderson and Davidson free.

Directed by Graeme Clifford and adapted by L.A. Times columnist James Ricci from his own experiences, “Redeemer” is easy enough to watch. Except for the excessive use of flashbacks to show the killing over and over again, the pacing is snappy.

But the movie is only occasionally involving, mainly because prison life in “Redeemer” is rather genial. Sure, freedom would be nice, but the cells are cozy, the prisoners warmhearted, the fights tame, and, with the confident, capable Freeman on board, there’s a first-rate creative writing program with a superb student-teacher ratio.

As for Davidson, she has a comfortable job and a lovely daughter whose biggest complaint is being forbidden to watch a violent movie on television.

Things could be a lot worse.