Murder in the First Movie Review 1995

Hours after leaving a three-year stint in solitary confinement at Alcatraz, petty thief Henri Young (Bacon) kills the inmate he thinks ratted him out. Young, eager-puppy lawyer James Stamphill (Slater) defends Young by claiming that inhumane and brutal prison treatment turned him into a murderer. Heavy-handed and uneven despite excellent performances by top-notch cast. Oldman does his usual fine job with yet another unsympathetic character, the sadistic warden. Major professional landmark for both Slater and Bacon. Loosely based on a true story that led to the closing of Alcatraz.

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 123 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Great Escapes, Justice Prevails...?, Law & Lawyers, Men in Prison, Order in the Court, Sanity Check, True Stories, Alcatraz

Screenplay

Dan Gordon

Cast

Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brad Dourif, R. Lee Ermey, Mia Kirshner, Stefan Gierasch, Kyra Sedgwick

Cinematography

Fred Murphy

Director

Marc Rocco

Music

Christopher Young

Producer

Mark Frydman, Mark Wolper, David L. Wolper, Marc Rocco, Le Studio Canal Plus, Warner Bros.

Awards

Broadcast Film Critics 1995: Actor (Bacon).