Murder in the First (1995)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Marc Rocco

Writer (WGA):

Dan Gordon (written by)

Release Date:

20 January 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

They locked him up. They crushed his spirit. But they couldn't hide the truth.

Plot:

An eager and idealistic young attorney defends an Alcatraz prisoner accused of murdering a fellow inmate. The extenuating circumstances: his client had just spent over three years in solitary confinement.

Plot Keywords:

Alcatraz | Dungeon | Prison | Spoon | Inmate

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Christian Slater	...	James Stamphill
Kevin Bacon	...	Henri Young
Gary Oldman	...	Milton Glenn
Embeth Davidtz	...	Mary McCasslin
William H. Macy	...	D.A. William McNeil
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Mr. Henkin
Brad Dourif	...	Byron Stamphill
R. Lee Ermey	...	Judge Clawson
Mia Kirshner	...	Adult Rosetta Young
Ben Slack	...	Jerry Hoolihan
Stefan Gierasch	...	Warden James Humson
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Blanche, Hooker
Alex Bookston	...	Alcatraz Doc (as Alexander Bookston)
Richie Allan	...	Jury Foreman
Herb Ritts	...	Mike Kelly

Also Known As:

Meurtre à Alcatraz (France)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:14A (TV rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 (bw) | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | France:-12

Filming Locations:

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The real life Henry Young was a bank robber who had taken and brutalized a hostage on at least one occasion and committed murder in 1933 - some 3 years before being incarcerated at Alcatraz. He had served time in State prisons in Montana and Washington before entering Federal prison for the first time in 1935 at the U.S. Penitentiary on McNeil Island, Washington (which is now a State prison).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first meeting between Young and Stamphill in the open holding cell, the guard in the background disappears and reappears between shots.

Quotes:

Henri Young: Action I won. Reaction you can't ever take that away from me

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La très très grande entreprise (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tuxedo Junction

Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon--(Maybe even 7 or 8)

As Wayne would have it---"DENIED!!"

how this film escaped the attention of Oscar and Globe voters is one of the great Hollywood mysteries of our time...if Bacon ain't Oscar meat here, i don't know what is...an absolutely brilliant performance in the kind of role the voters usually jump all over at ballot time...ya really gotta wonder...

conspiracy theories aside, this is one helluva flick...besides our pal Kevin, there's outstanding work from Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, and everybody's favorite drill sergeant, Lee Ermey...Moe Greene's kid, Marc Rocco, gets a great period feeling economically...solid work by the wardrobe and make-up units...this film deserved a much better fate at the box office and at awards season in '96...if you haven't seen this one yet, you're missing a real gem...