Felon (2008)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Ric Roman Waugh

Writer:

Ric Roman Waugh (written by)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

No Rules. No Hope. No Way Out.

Plot:

A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Prison | Tear Gas | Release From Prison | Manslaughter

Cast

Stephen Dorff	...	Wade Porter
Marisol Nichols	...	Laura Porter
Vincent Miller	...	Michael Porter
Anne Archer	...	Maggie
Larnell Stovall	...	Viper
Val Kilmer	...	John Smith
Sam Shepard	...	Gordon
Johnny Lewis	...	Snowman
Harold Perrineau	...	Lt. Jackson
Shawn Prince	...	Todd Jackson
Chris Browning	...	Danny Samson
Nick Chinlund	...	Sgt. Roberts
Greg Serano	...	Officer Diaz
Jake Walker	...	Warden Harris
Nate Parker	...	Officer Collins

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence, pervasive language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Africa:16LV | UK:15 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Stage 6 Films

Trivia:

Val Kilmer, a method actor who heavily researched the role, elected not to portray his character in a Utopian or chiseled capacity. Instead, Kilmer wanted to convey a nihilistic approach in which the years of confinement visibly take a toll physically and emotionally on the character.

Goofs:

Continuity: As the movie begins, we see Wade outside. Then it cuts inside to Laura putting some bananas into Michaels cereal (47 seconds into the movie). As the camera pans left we see the orange juice container in the bottom left of the frame already on the table. In the next shot, Wade is coming to the table and the orange juice is NOT on the table. Wade is carrying it in his hand and sets it down on the able.

Quotes:

John Smith: What a piece of work is man. And there is no good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Human beings are perhaps never more dangerous than when they are convinced beyond a doubt that they are right. Patience. Penance.

Excellent

Most prison movies are essentially the same story told with different characters. Usually the protagonist is convicted of a crime (which he did or did not do), is sent to prison and finds that they have to either adapt to their brutal new surroundings or die. Allies are won, enemies are made, death lurks around the corner. "Felon" is no different but three things raise it above most others.

First is the setting. Filmed at the New Mexico State Penitentiary, the movie carries an air of authenticity and gritty realism that movie sets simply can't provide.

Next is the casting. Stephen Dorff has always been a very underrated actor and here he provides a wonderful portrayal of a man let down by the legal system and cast adrift in a living nightmare. His descent from upstanding family man to an enraged prison inmate with fire in his eyes and blood on his knuckles is perhaps predictable but Dorff sells the portrayal to the audience completely. However, Harold Perrineau and Val Kilmer are the real stars here. The first (whom avid fans of the television shows "Lost" and "Oz" will already be familiar with) offers a great performance as Lieutenant Jackson, a happy family orientated man outside of prison but a monster within its walls. Kilmer, meanwhile, is John Smith, the philosophical but potentially dangerous convict who comes to befriend Dorff's Wade during their time together.

The third and final ingredient that ensures "Felon" impresses, is the passionate directing by Ric Roman Waugh who also wrote the screenplay (based, apparently, on events at the notorious Californian State Prison). With the help of some incredible editing, the movie powers along at a frantic rate and rarely gives the audience time to breathe. If the ending is somewhat contrived, you can forgive it because the journey to reach the conclusion was so intense.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of "The Shawshank Redemption", "The Big House", "An Innocent Man" and "Lock Up".