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Murder in the First (1994)
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Reviews Counted:33
Fresh:17
Rotten:16
Average Rating:5.6/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: The true story of Henri Young, a 1930's convict who has been sent to prison for stealing five dollars. But when Young and others attempt to escape, they are caught. As punishment, a naked and wet... The true story of Henri Young, a 1930's convict who has been sent to prison for stealing five dollars. But when Young and others attempt to escape, they are caught. As punishment, a naked and wet Young is thrown into a dark, damp, rat-infested cell, where he is his beaten continuously. He emerges from this hellhole three years later a virtual madman -- and promptly kills the inmate who snitched about the escape attempt. Now facing a charge of murder in the first degree, Young is defended by inexperienced go-getter James Stamphill. Although the cards are stacked high against him, the lawyer makes Young plead innocent. Stamphill's plan: to put Alcatraz, and the whole prison system on trial, as both institutions have turned his client into a homicidal maniac. [More]
Starring: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Embeth Davidtz
Starring: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Embeth Davidtz, Brad Dourif, William H. Macy, R. Lee Ermey
Director: Marc Rocco
Director: Marc Rocco
Producer: Mark Frydman, David L. Wolper
Reviews for Murder in the First
As a thriller, Murder in the First has all the elements but is so flamboyant and overblown that it becomes off-putting quite quickly.
A reasonably exhilarating hybrid of prison movie and courtroom drama.
An arbitrary by-the-numbers courtroom/crime yarn that sometimes shifts between being too preachy and pretentious.
Regardless of how this version raises the hackles of Alcatraz aficionados, Marc Rocco's movie is a solid and affecting example of film making.
Attempts to masquerade as a historical drama, but twists the facts to have them fit the traditional Hollywood courtroom drama.
An example of what happens when a picture has everything going for it except good writing and good direction.
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