I learned that:

seeking redeption will make cause you to get decapitated.

the public will be fine with housing prisoners in horrific hellholes but will somehow be shocked and outraged to find out that penal colonies have been reinstated

you can run a penal colony on an island without any of the real authorities finding out about it - and that people can't just zoom in on it and see it on google earth

V8 Engines and distributors can wash up ashore

a cocky 50-something guy can easily jump into a pit and kill two fit men in their 30's

Merrick really wants to be in charge.

CGI privately-owned helicopter gunships have extremely poor aim

rocket launchers in the future can cause a series of really big (and cool) explosions from a single rocket

you can hide under bushes in a helicopter LZ without having to worry about the bushes blowing away, exposing you, or the helicopter landing ON you

heavily armed trained prison guards can be easily overcome by unarmed convicts

only unimportant characters die in major battle scenes

Michael Lerner is about as threatening as my pet hamster