Murder in the First (1995)

Some details have changed, but this is based on true events, which gives this story an even bigger impact! One of Kevin Bacon's best roles i Feel.

MURDER IN THE FIRST is an extremely gritty and brutal slice of life prison drama that becomes a courtroom film in the second half. It has the hook of being based on a true story although plenty of the facts have been altered to give it more mainstream appeal. The film covers the brutal treatment meted out to Alcatraz prisoners in the 1930s, focusing on the plight of Kevin Bacon, a convict at the mercy of Gary Oldman's sadistic assistant warden.The film itself is a mix of the good and bad, let down only by that dated '90s filming style that makes the whole thing feel a little bit cheesy and irrelevant despite the seriousness of the subject matter. Still, an ensemble cast do their jobs well here, with a typically loathsome Oldman on strong form, Christian Slater convincing as the ambitious young lawyer, and folk like Stephen Tobolowsky, Brad Dourif, William H. Macy, and R. Lee Ermey propping up the scenery. Best of the bunch is Bacon himself who gives a performance loaded with anguish and violence; it's the best of his career.

"Murder in the First" commences to the year 1935 as a down-on-his- luck young man named Henri Young (Kevin Bacon) desperately steals $5 from a post office. His criminal act harshly leads him to be sentenced to five years in prison. The worst part is, Mr. Young is only 18 years old. This opening scene begins the superficial story of Henri Young and his time in Alcatraz. Prison life has not been the life for Young as he and other inmates make a great effort to escape only to be caught red-handed. Young gets sent to the "hole" where he remains there for three years. Left under supervision by the guards and one very mean warden named Milton Glenn (Gary Oldman) who hated Young the first time he set eyes on him, he is physically tortured and incapacitated while remaining in the "hole". There are days or even weeks when no human contact comes his ways while he's in the hole. Three years later, Henri is released from the hole, but a complete shell of his former self. So much so that as an act of revenge, Young kills the brown-nose inmate who tattled on him when he was making his escape. Now Young finds himself in a much deeper offence as he is now convicted of first degree murder. His appointed attorney James Stamphill (Christian Slater) pays Young a visit to Alcatraz. At first glance, he appears to look like a malnourished, decrepit elderly individual when really, he's only just a couple years older than Stamphill. The harsh and physical punishment he's endured during his incarceration has him now unable to walk upright, his legs and back are crippled and his speech is very slurred and his mind is almost lost. Almost as though he has dementia, he now has the mental capacity of a child. The only thing he can remember were happy times were baseball and Babe Ruth. Stamphill, who's a rookie lawyer finds himself in a precarious situation as finds it very difficult to communicate with someone like Henri.Stamphill finding the only way to open up to Henri is by talking to him about baseball. Through many visits, Henri progressively opens up to Stamphill which lead to Stamphill going over his head. Leaving him with no real hope, Stamphill persuades Henri to plead innocent and to overrule the trial and instead place the penal system and Alcatraz on trial. Stamphill then blames Alcatraz for turning Henri into the insane person he has become.In one of the only humorous scenes, Stamphill beings in a hooker posed as one of his assistants. This was a ploy to offer something to Henri due to never being able to enjoy the moment because of his long prison sentence. But this effort and the baseball discussions between Henri and Stamphill, the bonding between both men continued until Henri's death. In an excellent trial scene, Stramphill successfully proves to the judicial system that Henri was left in the unmerciful hands of Warden Milton Glenn and completely lays blame to the penal system which eventually leads to the potential closing of Alcatraz. Henri must return to Alcatraz until the paperwork leading to his release has been done. In a memorable scene we see Henri getting on a boat begging Stamphill not to send him back. He is now emancipated, but can't understand why he must wait for this paperwork to be completed in order to get of Alcatraz. Henri was never discharged from Alcatraz and remained there until his death. Even though the story is loosely based on real characters, the performances were absolutely phenomenal, especially from the three principals being Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman. For the past three decades, the ladies have often had the hearts melting for the attractive Kevin Bacon. But in this movie, they can see just how riveting he is in a heart-breaking but highly respected performance he delivers here. His manners and his characteristics were truly realistic. Slater was the perfect casting choice to play the part of the green, inexperienced lawyer thrown into a case he never thought he'd never thought possible. His fight against the penal system was handled with care and never felt forced or rushed. Gary Oldman has been quite versatile with his roles in the past comes through as a tough, unmerciful warden.Even though the story is inspired by real events and characters, but in reality it is still a work of fiction. However, the situations look and feel real. The execution of the story and the characters really draws you in and you really root the whole time through to Henri and hope that he is able to be released before it is too late. On a positive note, it was just wonderful that the evil, cruel atmosphere that was Alcatraz was brought down in defeat.

Though A Largely Fictitious Film, about petty criminal Henri Young, 'Murder in the First', yet comes across as a convincing cinematic experience. Though depressing and hard to stomach, the honesty it's been made and it's hallmark performances, manage to hold your interest.'Murder in the First' is a about a petty criminal named Henri Young, played by Kevin Bacon, who is put on trial for murder in the first degree. But, a righteous recent law school graduate, played by Christian Slater, takes up the challenge to take up Young's case, and later blames the prison's executives, for the brutal murder committed by Young.'Murder in the First', like mentioned before, is a largely fictitious take on Henri Young's life. But, cinematically, Henri Young comes across as a frightened victim, who was physically & mentally abused by the Prison's executives. You, in fact, support him here and you sympathize with him all through, and you literally begin to hate the prison's executives. The depiction of Young being in a solitary confinement, and knowing his suffering, shakes you and leaves you numb.'Murder in the First' is an honest film. Dan Gordon's Writing is hard-hitting & on your-face. The Writer hasn't shy-ed away by not showing what your suppose to watch as a viewer. Marc Rocco's Direction is up-to the mark. He handles the dark, as well as the court-room sequences, with accurate understanding. But, I would like to point out, that, the film is longer than it should have been. It needed to be trimmed, at least, by 15-20 minutes.Performance-Wise: All the actors are Great. Kevin Bacon is nearly exemplary as the frightened victim, Henri Young. His body language, his expressions , as well as his dialogue delivery, are pitch-perfect. Bacon once again proves his range as an actor! Christian Slater scores big time as the righteous lawyer. Gary Oldman is Fantastic! He's so good as the menace, I actually began to hate him. Oldman, genuinely, delivers one of his finest performances here. William H. Macy is perfect, like always. Others lend the required support.On the whole, 'Murder in the First' is not the faint-hearted, as it's too intense & depressing at times. But, it's definitely worth a watch for those, who like watching films, that are written & executed without inhibitions. From this writer, Thumbs Up!