Felon Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.
| Val Kilmer | John Smith |
| Stephen Dorff | Wade Porter |
| Harold Perrineau | Lt. Jackson |
| Sam Shepard | Gordon Camrose |
| Nick Chinlund | Sgt. Roberts |
| Nate Parker | Officer Collins |
| Greg Serano | Officer Diaz |
| Johnny Lewis | Snowman |
| Chris Browning | Danny Samson |
| David E. Augustson | Riot Guard |
| Frank Bond | Doctor |
| Ivan Brutsche | Guard # 1 |
| Jim Burleson | Correction's Officer |
| Darin Henry Charles | Prison Guard #2 |
| Christopher Dempsey | Deputy District Attorney |
8.00 out of 10 (2937 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Outstanding!!!!!
posted on 26 Aug 2009NOTE: This is a violent movie. With Action and Real Life situations. It is NOT for everyone.A man on his way to establishing a good life for himself and his new bride to be, finds himself placed in a situation of protecting his family. In so doing, he then finds himself immersed in a judicial nightmare that plunges him even deeper into a dark abyss of dog-eat-dog world of prison.I must say that the acting was just superb in all areas. The directing by Ric Roman Waugh (Whom also wrote this wonderful piece), was incredible.The outstanding acting of Harold Perrineau as Lt. Jackson is classic. His uncanny ability to make you hate him is just magnificent.Val Kilmer pulled off one of the best portrayals of a lifer that I have ever seen in a motion picture.There are very few flaws that I could see in this drama. I loved it from the beginning to the end.
A mans Film with roller-coaster of emotions.
posted on 14 Aug 2009Top Notch story,acting, pace of film and Emotional content. A mans film with some of the relationships that twine themselves together as life in prison. At the start of the film I thought it was another low budget film with Stephen Dorf,but Val Kilmer is in it too it was worth a look.Can I honestly say that the dialogue and character were as the rookie and veteran interactions brilliant.I must say the film had me in tears at some points due to the fact the film portrays the fear & anxiety of prison life created on screen. outstanding!!!.All in all Very good work and Looks like Im have to buy the blue-ray.
What a bunch of Crap
posted on 14 Aug 2009People PLEASE wake up, This Film is so far from the truth it's crazy.I know most every film makes the Correctional Officers look bad, But this one takes the cake. This NEVER happened like this and would not happen for a second today.This Film shows a completely false portrayal of what goes on.Most of you who watch this Film are led to believe this is how a State Prison runs. This is NOT how it is.I wish the Director had taken the time to spend time inside and not take the word of those needing to sell exciting tales of crap.Once again here is a prison movie giving people the wrong impression. I have yet to see a Prison Movie really tell it like it is, And unfortunately I probably never will.If the people believe this is how it really is then I bet they still believe in Santa to.
Brutal prison film
posted on 10 Aug 2009I've always been a fan of Stephen Dorff,just don't seem to see a lot of him, not enough anyway. This starts like so many American movies,you just want to jump through the screen and become him,perfect wife, cute kid, business doing well, hell, they're even getting married and he agrees to an extra $650 for the dress. Then, one night they hear an intruder and Dorff ends up killing him with the aid of his baseball bat which of course he keeps under the bed, well, this is America!He's then arrested for murder, and you're left (as he is) thinking, hang on, this ain't right. Sentenced to 3 years, he finds himself in a max. security sort of 'escape from new york' type hell-hole, where all the prisoners do is fight each other for the amusement of the guards, one of which has serious issues with one of the inmates. Enter Val Kilmer, a sort of Charlie Manson( the English prison variety, not the American cult leader) character, a legend in the penal system for his brutality and quotes about philosophy.Sharing a cell, they make inroads to becoming as close as either man ever could in the circumstances and they do end up mutually respecting each other through the hardships they endure. When Dorffs wife sends him a 'dear John', Kilmer understands his pain and we are left wondering if he is actually as bad as all that. The yard scenes are depicted in a kind of gladiatorial way, extremely brutal and we've long past the point where we want to jump back through the screen into the safety and comfort of out own living rooms.This is primarily a hard, brutal ,prison drama, but underneath all that, its also a story about hope, faith and the need to put right a lot of what is wrong with present day society, as Kilmers character declares' i would have wiped out the whole goddamn planet just to have them back'. Brutal, yes,and un-compromising at times but there's also a message here regarding what is happening to certain elements of our society, all in all though, a cracking and well told film.
The sad part is that so much of this is true
posted on 10 Aug 2009I can't say that I like it.I can't say that I don't like it.This sadly is the truth of what prison is like.You can get jailed for little reason and unless your defense is solid, you go to jail - whether it's long term or not, there are rules...and they are not the same as outside.Many times the guards are far worse than the inmates who are detained...and this proves it to a better perspective than most jail movies I've seen.It's a game that once you leave that courtroom, you have to learn very quickly.To those that commented on being charged and arrested for protecting your family - yes, sad but true...unless you were injured there was a weapon in direct contact, should you kill somebody or even injure them serious enough to be disabled or have physical problem, then you can be charged with murder, attempted murder, willful negligence and a slew of other charges.Even if you were in a convenience store and it was being robbed and you worked as a cashier...unless a weapon was brought onto you, should you defend yourself and hold and sustain the attacker - you are liable for criminal charges...even if there are witnesses and camera video recordings.The justice system is beyond messed.If you were to injure somebody in a related instance, it would sometimes be better to be killed in the same event - as the law can screw you severely.This happens in the US and in Canada.Nobody is innocent and that is the sad but true fact.Your own home, locked, secured and protected by you and your family has little value the moment you decide to defend yourself and have any good chance in doing so.Justice is blind, it's for the wealthy and the famous.Never rely on the public defender. Do whatever you must to get a lawyer that does not work for the county...they are a joke to the defense system and have virtually no trial experience.
Good Prison Movie
posted on 06 Aug 2009The movie has a tight script and will keep one glued to the screen. Its all about how one action can change your entire life. The move gives insight into a life in prison and conjures up feelings of pity, anger and sympathy at different times.Val Kilmer puts in a tight performance and i barely recognised him in the first short cause of his unusual beard. But he sure got his role all figured out and delivers a masterful performance. this one is for all val kilmer fans.This may not be the best prison movie..say something like shawshank redemption but it has its heart on the right place.
the best
posted on 06 Aug 2009it deserves an Oscar... one of the most realistic movies i've ever seen. the best prison movies ever made and the acting is superb it's a movie that moves you, that makes you watch it again. i congratulate all the crew,they were awesome. the inmates are well chosen,you feel like in a real prison. It is an emotional roller-coaster of a film, bringing you emotions as varied as sorrow, joy and anger. It makes you see the unjust nature of the world we live in, and how the worst things can happen to the nicest of people.it will make everyone who watches it appreciate everything in their life so much more.I am surely glad that Val got a shot at playing a role in a film that got good reviews as well. It's pretty close to the real thing.
Another film watched on the basis of the IMDb rating ... another pile of shite!
posted on 27 Jul 2009Another film watched on the basis of the IMDb rating ... another pile of shite!Reasons not to watch - Poor script, poor acting, lame story, seen it all before prison film (made 'Lock Up' look a work of genius). Val Kilmer does not give some great performance ... he's a bit cheesy as per usual. The soundtrack is so over the top its laughable.Reasons to watch - She gets her tits out!! His mother in laws lips!! She gets her tits out!! (we watched that bit again).How this film gets 7.9 out of 10 god only knows, I think the majority of people voting must be American teenage boys.
Outstanding performances!
posted on 19 Jul 2009The director of the movie, Rick Roman Waugh actually was earlier related to stunts & here is his movie, but its his second movie, the first movie did not actually was a hit. And now he is here, presenting one of the best prison movie ever to be made. "Felon" is hard-hitting story about a loving family man Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) who inadvertently killed an intruder in his home, while justly protecting his wife (Marisol Nichols) & his son, the family man faces three years in maximum security prison where every rule he has ever lived by is thrown out the window. To make matters worse, Potter does not gets along with his cell-mate. Most likely because the guy is an epically notorious mass murderer (Val Kilmer). In order to make it out of his sentence alive, between vicious prisoners & the sadistic machinations of the corrupt Warden Lt. Jackson (Harrold Perrineau), Porter transforms himself into the toughest & meanest cat in the joint. The movie portrays the prison life so beautifully & it gives viewers the feeling, what exactly a prison life is. Also, portraying how a common man, becomes a monster headed threat to the society. These type of movies are generally anti-cop movies & so is this one too. The movie fills up all the excitement in you & with the remarkable performances by everyone, the movie is a winner. Dorff executed his career best performance & he surely must deserve something very good for this performance. Val Kilmer is excellent & his quotes would be locked inside your brains, although he is old now, but he keeps on getting better with his growing age, power-packed performance. Marisol looks very sweet throughout the movie & she does her part absolutely well. And Waugh, with his stunning direction, made one of the best enthusiastic prison movie ever. There are surely hardcore action stuffs in the movie, although they are not extra-ordinary, but it definitely blows your mind. The background music was okay, nothing brilliant, but suits with the movie. An absolute winner. A movie with rock solid performances & great direction. Mind-blowing. Do not miss this outstanding movie.
Simple, Smart and Powerful
posted on 13 Jul 2009This is one of those films that I'd always try to remember. The characters in the film are very realistic. Stephen Dorff, Marisa Nichols carried it really well. MR. Kilmer played a pivotal role towards the end, for all the dubious minds who'd question his character/ role in the film.I believe Ric Roman did a wonderful job by addressing the many different situations that we as humans can go through in daily life. It was simple yet smart and a powerful film. I may not watch it again for, I do not want to witness the horrid situations again, but I'd definitely recommend it once for all!!
Great
posted on 11 Jul 2009I do like the action very much. Everything seem moving fast.. there's just no stale moment. The fight scene is awesome and the felons were very convincing. The plot was very well executed. I loves it. But i have to say i don't like the 'cloverfield's effect. It felt like i'm gonna vomits looking at the shaking effect. I know it suppose to bring the humph to the movie but guys, common.. there's no need for that effect if you just receiving the paycheck (beginning of the movie).I would like to highlight the details taken by the team for making it so real..example.. the dirty toilet and the tattoo on the felon actors. All in all, it's a good movie to watch. I recommend it.
Defanetly a film you must see.
posted on 11 Jul 2009This is actually a very good film, even though the plot is of the usual kind. To be honest I didn't really expect much of this film, but due to the high average votes I decided to give it a chance. To begin with it seemed to be just yet another felon film, but not too long after, I realized that this was more than just that. This is one of those films that have a tight grib on you through out the entire plot, and what a grib that was.. You really get to know the characters and only the strangest of our kind would not have empathy for the poor guy and his family. I don't really know much about good and bad acting but from what I saw this was some fine acting worth seeing. The fighting scenes were brutally great with the sound and all being there, some people might just even have to turn away their heads once in a while!All in all, this was very much worth seeing and even paying for, earning it a fair 7/10, definitely a film you must see!
A Masterpiece
posted on 03 Jul 2009I was amazed by the quality and the storyline of this film.Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorf have done a great job.The story goes as following:An innocent person is imprisoned for a mistake he has done.There he must fight for his everyday survival and face a sadist Jailguard who likes to see prisoners fight each other.Firstly,the storyline is coherent.It has no flaws or exaggerations.Acting as a whole is very good both from the protagonists and from the supporting cast.All of them act like the roles were written specifically for them.Secondly,the action is realistic.Prisoners get hurt,bleed,have feelings and honor.The guards have also their lives and the director gives us a spherical view of each person's character.The main characters are not flat and neutral but have attributes just like real people.To summarize,this is a great prison film.It mixes social issues along with action features,love and personal endurance.It is a film that anybody can watch not only to amuse hiself but also to acquire some knowledge of what is happening in prisons.Congratulations to Val Kilmer,Stephen Dorf and the director Ric Roman Waugh.
A great film
posted on 29 Jun 2009It's been a long time since I last saw a "prison movie" so I went to see *Felon* with somewhat high expectations based also on its IMDb rating.I wasn't at all disappointed, actually it exceeded those high expectations that I had before the viewing. Kilmer and Dorff had great chemistry together in this one both portraying quite believable characters despite the somewhat far fetched plot line.Kilmer's physical appearance and voice were a bit shocking at first but it did suit him well for this certain part. It's a bit weird this film wasn't really promoted properly from what I could tell unlike other pieces of garbage this year (that shall remain nameless).The visuals can be somewhat brutal at times but nothing out of the mainstream today, a great film, worthy of a 9 in my book.
One word would describe it : Awesome
posted on 29 Jun 2009We are face to face a realistic movie which invites us to consider for a moment what is going on in some of today's brutal and corrupted prisons?...The movie is also successful at driving us to the world of reality and getting rid of the thought '' Come on it is just a movie what is more? ''...Yeah unfortunately sometimes unexpected things can happen and that is the way it is no matter we want it or not and bring out terrifying results ...While watching the movie you can see how '' self-confidence ,desire and ambition'' combined all together can get you out of the worst situation you are in...''Just trust,work it hard and you will make your dream come true'' would be the movie's main idea...All in all you will absolutely like watching every minute of this well acted movie that is a reflection of the ''sad'' facts in which you will get lost...
This movie caught me by surprise
posted on 27 Jun 2009I'm not gonna lie, I didn't expect too much from this movie. I when I watched it, I couldn't believe how good it was. I mean, in every aspect. From the acting, to the character development, to the directing, to the superb story line and script. This is by far the best role that Stephen Dorff has ever played. He nailed this role down so hard I believe this role was tailor made for him. The character development of his character was amazing and "BELIEVEABLE". I identified with the character on many fronts. Wanting to protect your family and end of in jail because of a kink in our justice system. The adjustment his Character has to make is dramatic, and it is effecting his family and his life in the worse way. And he is unable to explain this to his wife, or anybody who has not been privy to spend sometime in our prison system.Val Kilmer was perfect in his role. His attitude, demeanor, and solitude nature was greatly acted, and his on screen performance was nothing less then charismatic. But one Actor who also did a hell of a job who I have not seen mention on this comments is "Harold Perrineau" who played Lt. Jackson. To really appreciate his performance you would have to have seen him prior, specifically his role in "OZ", which was a HBO series show. His role in that series, and movies that followed was the complete opposite of what you see in Felony. Always the good guy, and the more level headed one when it comes to films. So, obviously I presumed he was going to be a "good guy" here too. Point blank, he was a Bastard. And I was surprised pleasantly on his ability to make the audience resent him. And he was so good at it at a point I forgot I was watching a movie. Because the human element of hate and bitterness of the character was so real, we see it everyday to different degrees in various individuals, maybe even in ourselves to a degree.If your a hard working individual working towards a family or if you already have a family, you are going to be able to place yourself in the shoes of "Wade", and really identify with the storyline as it unravels and the turmoil it puts his family in. Again, Val Kilmer was great, and was an example of a "Wade", in his day when he committed a crime against someone who committed a HEINOUS crime against his family. They really interacted well between each other and the chemistry is definitely felt on screen.
Val Kilmer excels in this fantastic film
posted on 23 Jun 2009I can't place why I exactly I love Val Kilmer in this film. Possibly because I think he is such a brilliant actor with such a variety of roles to his resume. I loved him in 'Top Secret' - he threw his heart and soul in his performance but similarly was excellent in 'HEAT'.Here his gravitas coupled with silence is a tour de force and this film should have been pushed a lot more in the US than it was - I hope it gets the credit it deserves in the UK when launched here. Kilmer is powerful but subtle and commands your attention at all times.The pace is great, the cinematography subtle but brilliant and the sense of tension is superbly realised. This is the best film I've seen this year, I cannot recommend it enough.
Great movie. Great acting.
posted on 23 Jun 2009Even though the movie started out with a weak story (first time offender gets thrown into hard core prison) i was amazed how good Steven Dorff acted. But i liked Val Kilmer playing a much more intense role as the semi-psycho lifer that keeps to himself and opens up to the "fish". I had a hard time recognizing him, i first thought it was Jeff Bridges.... (LOL)I found the mother very convincing trying to change her daughter's mind into leaving her husband since he "let her down" and she needs to "move on".I really liked Harold Perrineau as the sadistic prison guard corrupted by power. He played much better than in Lost. Actually i was amazed by the portrayal of his role!Overall this movie lives by the acting, not the story, since this topic has been touched many times and nothing has been done to correct the inhumane treatment in prisons not just in the US...Anyways, i voted 10 for this movie since it left me with a deep feeling of sadness knowing that this might happen to anyone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time....And to the commenters that say this movie's story is that the crime of killing a burglar should go unpunished, i have to say that that's not true. The message is that there must be a punishment that is right for the crime. No one says that killing a burglar should go unpunished, but to sentence a father and husband with no priors to hardcore prison is not right! Probation, or in this case a low security prison for the duration of the sentence would be in order, but not a hardcore prison like the one portrayed in this movie... those should be reserved to hopeless cases that will never again will see freedom.
All-rounded movie
posted on 23 Jun 2009I really enjoyed this movie and thought the film should have been highlighted more. A great cast, fantastic storyline and simplistic yet stunning effects help make the movie one of the best of 2008.Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer are right on the money in the film especially Klimer who not only brings his own unique persona into the movie but also portrays a dark, troubled man seeking revenge. Chris Browning is another who helps make the film what it is. He plays Danny Sampson; a ruthless, sick skinhead set out to control the prison and dispatch of the weak throughout his gang. The film shows the horrors of what may lie for people who have committed a crime. Brutal and savage slashings are an every day occurrence in prisons such as these.No Rules. No Hope. No Way Out. The 7 words which depict this film the best
Bad message hidden in well directed movie
posted on 28 Aug 2009Love, violence, violence, violence, love, violence and again love...usually this is the perfect formula for mass hypnosis. I mean, the movie starts well, the story is well written (altough it is far from realistic), well edited, well directed, well acted. This is the reason i gave it a 4. But the message, oh my god, the message is very problematic here. It is clear that violence is a downward spiral, and that only love can saves us from falling in it. Because hate is just the absence of love, just like darkness is the absence of light. And this movie treats this subject apparently pretty well, just until the end, when Kilmer's "hero like" voice sentences "Protects your family at all costs, even if you have to kill again...because if i would be forced i will kill the entire planet to defend mine". WHAAAAT???? Is this the final morale? To kill all other's families to defend yours...so that your family is more important that the other's families? If we would thinking like that it will surely be a disaster for everyone. But hey, this is exactly what the American government is trying to convince us to do. To think only at our asses (or American's asses in this case). We all know how important our families are for us, there is no need to remind it at all. I think that to defend my brother or my mother is just like the first Isaac Asimov's law. It is deep coded in me. I will surely give my life for them, and i want to believe this is true for every normal person on the planet. But "to defend them from who" is the real problem here. Because what i've seen, by now too many times, is that the enemies we are "forced" (like Kilmer's said) to face, most of the times, are not real at all. On the other hand, is it what happened right in this movie? Sry for bad English.