Felon (2008)

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

Director:

Ric Roman Waugh

Writer:

Ric Roman Waugh

Stars:

Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A family man, Wade Porter, is living the American Dream with his girlfriend Laura and their son Michael: they have a nice house, he has just raised a loan to make his company grow and they are going to get married. However their dream becomes a nightmare when Wade unintentionally kills a burglar that had broken into their house in the middle of the night on his lawn. He is sent to trial and accepts a deal proposed by the prosecutor, being sentenced to three years in prison. During the transportation, there is an incident in the bus and Wade is framed and sent to the maximum security wing under the command of the corrupt Lieutenant Jackson. His cell-mate John Smith that was sentenced to life after avenging the death of his family befriends Wade and gives helpful advice and instills hope in Wade that he will return to his family.

---

Plot Keywords:

prison | bare chested male | aryan brotherhood | male nudity | male rear nudity | 

---

Taglines:

No Rules. No Hope. No Way Out.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal violence, pervasive language and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Towards the end of the film, as Porter walks by a row of cells, the prisoner in cell 2 can briefly be seen with long hair and a swastika carved between his eyes. This is most likely a reference to the infamous Charles Manson, who died in prison in 2017.

---

Goofs

In the beginning of the movie John refers back to how his daughter would have been 27 at that time but by the tattoo calender on his arm she should have only been 22 or 23.

---

Quotes

Wade Porter: [to Laura] Stay in this room.

---

Connections

Referenced in Impossible Dreams (2011)

User Reviews

Solid Drama

The family man Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is living the American Dream with his girlfriend Laura (Marisol Nichols) and their son Michael: they have a nice house, he has just raised a loan to make his company grow and they are going to get married. However their dream becomes a nightmare when Wade unintentionally kills a burglar that had broken into their house in the middle of the night on his lawn. He is sent to trial and accepts a deal proposed by the prosecutor, being sentenced to three years in prison. During the transportation, there is an incident in the bus and Wade is framed and sent to the maximum security wing under the command of the corrupt Lieutenant Jackson (Harold Perrineau). His cell-mate John Smith (Val Kilmer) that was sentenced to life revenging the death of his family befriends Wade and gives helpful advices and hope to Wade to return to his family.

The good "Felon" is another movie that discloses the corruption and brutality in the American Penal system, where the rules of a civilized society are neither followed by the inmates nor by most of the security guards. The dramatic story is engaging, and it is great to see Val Kilmer having again a top-notch performance after a long period of weak movies. Stephen Dorff is also great in the role of a family man that is unfairly imprisoned for protecting his family and dehumanizes and desensitizes to survive in the prison. The unrealistic conclusion is commercial and moralist, reducing the power and impact of the plot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Felon"

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 2008 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Felon

Filming Locations:

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stage 6 Films, Tucker Tooley Entertainment, Pantry Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1