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Movies / On DVD / Murder in the First
Murder in the First

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Murder in the First (1994)

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52 %
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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Murder in the First

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Average thriller.

comment Comment
12/23/04
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

A must see for Kevin Bacon's performance, especially in the early scenes.

comment Comment
01/30/05
Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell
PopcornQ

Explores the human condition with a rare passion.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

As a thriller, Murder in the First has all the elements but is so flamboyant and overblown that it becomes off-putting quite quickly.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

No review available.

comment Comment
10/09/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

A reasonably exhilarating hybrid of prison movie and courtroom drama.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

No review available.

comment Comment
07/03/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

An arbitrary by-the-numbers courtroom/crime yarn that sometimes shifts between being too preachy and pretentious.

comment Comment
05/29/03
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

No review available.

comment Comment
02/11/05
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Regardless of how this version raises the hackles of Alcatraz aficionados, Marc Rocco's movie is a solid and affecting example of film making.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Woefully over-manipulative and over-the-top.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/13/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Attempts to masquerade as a historical drama, but twists the facts to have them fit the traditional Hollywood courtroom drama.

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

Unsalvageable and inadvertently silly.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

An example of what happens when a picture has everything going for it except good writing and good direction.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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