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good movie

once again america has shipped an ntsc dvd to europe knowingly that europe is pal. you guys are deffinatly a bunch of joys.

-- Not a true ending --

The extra star is for Kevin Bacon's performance. One of his best.

Christian Slater's acting was good, but there was nothing remarkable about it.

Some courtroom scenes just seemed downright ludicrous.

If R. Lee Ermey is going to play a judge, he should at least play one that's been written realistically.

Christian Slater's yelling and theatrics in the courtroom got really old really fast.

And now the ending: Not only was it stupid to rewrite Henri Young's fate, it was morally wrong.

Henri Young didn't die in prison. He lived up into the 70's. (Look it up if you don't believe me)

The producer(s), writer(s), and director decided that the facts about his death weren't historically entertaining enough, and decided to rewrite them.

It was cheap, corrupt, and pathetic what they turned this movie into.

Pure Fiction Tugs at Heart Strings and Wallets

I was impressed with the incredible acting performance by Kevin Bacon in this fictional film. His haunting portrayal of a tormented character named Henri Young was outstanding. I give him credit for solid character development and an engaging emotional bond that he establishes with the audience through this character. More incredible, though, is that so many people will come away from watching this film thinking - as I did - that a horrible atrocity was committed against poor, innocent Henri Young. While doing research on Alcatraz Island and its famous inmates, I discovered to my embarrassment that "Murder In The First" actually more accurately refers to what the writers and producers did to the actual story of the real inmate Henri Young. I assumed that the film was a credible source of truth and that the producers took it upon themselves to reveal a corrupt prison system. Having taught and spent time with prison inmates, including death row inmates in San Quentin, I can tell you that the last people you ought to give credence to are the animals that prowl behind those walls. Take the time and do some research about Mr. Young. You'll gain a real education about how the Hollywood film industry has duped the public with this pathetically twisted tale...and who the real cons are.

Not a true story

The only factual part of this movie is Henry's name, and that is not completely accurate. In the movie Henry's name is spelled Henri. In reality, his name is spelled Henry. When I rent a movie that is supposed to be based on a true story, I expect it to be reasonably close to the actual events. A simple internet search reveals the actual Henry Young was a murderer and bank robber before he ever saw the inside of Alcatraz. The facts state he may still be alive today. The actual solitary confinement cell he was in looks nothing like the cell showed in the movie. This movie is fiction, not remotely based on any the actual story of Henry Young. It's obvious. This movie was made for the purpose of swaying public opinion regarding the treatment of prisoners. I'm not trying to say prisoner abuse does not exist. I'm sure it does. But when a movie completely fabricates the "True Story" of an individual, as is the case in this movie, I go the other way. If the movie had been made as a fiction, which it is, I would have felt the exact opposite. As a stand-alone fiction it is a good story, but this "True Story" is nothing but a crock. Hollywood, please leave your politics at home. Most of us are very capable of deciding our political viewpoints on our own. Anyone who bases their views on political activists, standing on their very public soapbox, needs to get an education. That's the last Mark Rocco directed or Dan Gordon written movie I'll ever watch.

Kevin Bacon is brilliant

This movie did not get the hype I think it deserved. I happen to watch it on a whim...I normally go for the movies surrounded by hype. I was greatly impressed with Bacon's acting. I think this is his best, most powerful role yet. The closing scene when his walking though the prison is enough to make a grown man cry. If you like prison movie or just plain GOOD movies watch this one.

Praise and commendation for a marvelous film

Murder in The First is a powerhouse film about The life of Henri Young and the downfall of Alcatraz. It contains some of the best performances I've seen from Kevin Bacon and Christian Slater.Gary Oldman is, as always, superb in his role as the Assoc. Warden. Nice cameo as well by Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon's real life wife. Among other notable performances, William H. Macy as the Prosecuting attorney is particularly effective.I would recommend this film to anyone interested in making sure future miscarriages of justice such as this one are averted. This was a great film. Five Stars.

You Have To See This Movie!

I have been recommending this movie to people for years, and now I am glad to have it on DVD. My VHS tape was worn out from watching it so many times. If I could give more than 5 stars I would.
This is simply the best film ever!
Kevin Bacon's performance left me speechless. I don't know how he was overlooked at Oscar time. I am glad to see other reviewers are with me on this one.
Bacon, Slater, Oldman...what an amazing cast. And the story is true!

This movie will move you. It will make you laugh and cry.
If you haven't seen it- go see it right away! If you have, you'll want to see it again and again, like I do.

One of the best movies I've had the honor of seeing.

It's currently Dec. 8, 2003. I was watching my usual line up, which includes some "Comedy Central" and the "NFL Network". I had just finished watching "A Few Good Men", a masterpiece in my opinion, and the next movie to be shown was one called "Murder in the First". I was about to change the channel to one of the above I listed earlier, until something told me to watch it. A feeling I had, said this one was a winner. Well, I was right.

"Murder in the First" is one of the best movies around. It hooked me from the beginning and I was compelled to watch to it's finale. I'll get one thing out of the way now. If Keven Bacon didn't get an oscar for this movie, than the Academy doesn't know talent or a good performance when they see it. I was deeply moved by this movie about the cruel treatment of an attempted escapee from Alcatraz. The only reason the escape attempt was not successful was that the man who was escaping with Henry, snitched to the warden and thus we have the beginnings of a great movie. In the law books at this point in history, a prisoner could spend no more than 19 consecutive days in solitary confinement. Keven Bacon's character, Henry Young, was kept in Solitary on Alcatraz for 3 years. He was let out on christmas day in each of those years for 30 minutes of exercise. Henry's mistreatment was barbaric and seemed reminicient of torture from hundreds of years ago. The assistant warden of alcatraz, played by Gary Oldman, would constantly brutalize and cause the suffering of Mr. Young, even going as far to slice open his ankle with a razor.

Without giving away too much of the plot I will be brief. Christain Slater's character was assigned to Young's case, he had been accused of murdering the man who snitched on him, which he did. Now, Christian Slater's character was suppose to go to trial and basically not try to save this man or defend him at all. It appeared an open and shut case, but that's when the fireworks start.

Other reviews will basically tell you the whole plot, and what happened throughout. All I can tell you, apart from the above mentioned, is that this is a must see movie. Sure, among the reviews are ones that complain about the movie, and say how hollywood it is, or that it's easy to figure out where the movie is going (this isn't a mystery movie people), or that "Escape from Alcatraz" was a better movie about the world of Alcatraz. People, if you wanted nitpicking, you would pick up a "Rolling Stone" magazine or watch "Ebert and Roeper at the Movies", but this is something that they won't tell you. That this movie is excellent. Why won't the afore mentioned tell you that? Because picking a movie apart is what they do. Comparing movies like this one to classics. Such nonsense. You can't compare every movie to "Casablanca". Which is what some people will do. This movie is not "Citizen Kane". Nor will it ever be an "Amadeus". These are not fair comparisans. This movie is good, because it is. If I had to compare it to another movie, in the field of how deep it is, or how powerful it is. I would put it in it's own league, which is where my favorite movie of all time, "SE7EN", resides. Don't compare this movie to anything else, just enjoy it for what it is. Let the people who gets paid to nitpick, nitpick. Just sit back, grab the tissues, and enjoy this work of cinematic genius.

Best Court Movie

This movie is very touching, inspiring, and true. I believe that it is the best court movie ever. Excellent acting, good camera manuevers, and a great story all aid this movie. The beginning is a little gruesome (for girls mainly), but after that, it is hardly R rated material. This film is a movie that I am going to add to my DVD collection. If you don't choose to purchase it though, at least rent it. Five stars coming from the Dude.

Murder in the First

Excellent! A sleeper if I ever saw one . This movie has the best in actors, story, direction and action. Telling a story that needed to be seen as well as read. I have watched this movie several times and I still delighted to view this great movie.

The importance of a client lawyer relationship.

This is easily Kevin Bacon's finest. His performance is Oscar worthy. This film inspired me when I was a young legal student. It had been sometime since I have seen the movie. A friend of mine had borrowed the movie and kept it for a good year. I had first bought this movie via a laser disc. Thereafter when the DVD came out, I paid over US 25 for it.

Here the performances are solid. I am sure many have written about how great the movie it. As such the purpose of my review is to focus what this show means to me. This movie explores the importance of the client solicitor relationship. The show begins with Young being very alienated to Slater's character. This is shown by the director's careful photography angles. It somehow seems to convey that one has to enter into someone's prison to get another out. It cleverly shows that not only Young was in prison but Slater's character also. This is clearly pointed out when he (the lawyer) chose to enter his (Young) cell. It cleverly shows that he was a slave to the legal system and to the footsteps of his brother brilliant played as always by Douriff.

It was clearly a battle that not only Young had to fight but one that Stamphill had to fight as well. Hence trust had to be developed. The story captures a solicitor's need to win his clients confidence. It also deals with situations when the client's instructions are clearly against his advice.

My favourite scene is when the judge reprimanded Young and said; "This is my court. I am the one who says whether is OK or not OK". Then staring at Young he asks "OK?" Now that is brilliant. Well done, Marc Rocco. You have won a fan. Can't wait for a director's cut with 5.1 sound to come out.

Who's on First?

While based on a true story, one gets the feeling we are watching a very biased view of the case that generated prison reform. Do not get me wrong, I agree with the intentions of the screenwriter, but the constant scenes of torture and depravity finally desensitize the viewer. The director moves his camera with stomach churning finesse, as if he did not have enough confidence in the powerful script.This story definitely should have been told, but not this way. What I felt afterword was sympathy for the subjects, but distance toward the filmmakers. The stunt casting of Sedgwick as a hooker was just conceited.The film has many violent scenes, unnaked sexual content (totally unnecessary), male nudity in torture scenes, and about thirty profanities. I give this a 7.

shocking, in a good way

Great movie with unusual but good casting. Kevin Bacon is great, yes great, he plays the role of the unfotunate, abused and stricken inmate who's life is destroyed due to a simple thrift store steeling to save his sister. It makes you realize how the system can really go totally wrong. Christian Slater does an acting job of a lifetime. Bacon and Slater both work amazingly well together. A move for the ages and one to be viewed with open eyes of astonishment. A true story of ultimate magnitudes with brutal consequences.

did we all see the same movie?

I have been an IMDb user since sometime in 1995 or 1996 and was honestly amazed when I happened to look up the entry for one of my all-time favorites and must-see ebb and flow cinematography. I have not read all of the user comments about Murder in the First- and I will- but would like to contribute the following:-Kevin Bacon: awesome performance. Enough said.-William H. Macy: great to see him do something that doesn't seem like it's out of David Mamet piece.-Gary Oldman: Wonderfully scary performance of an individual caught in the dichotomy of an authority figure caught in a state of sedition against himself. The smashing of the mirror when he cut himself shaving was a very strong statement (in the way that it was done).-Christian Slater: Any first year practicers of law out there? I know I am not, but if I had a go at it, I would leverage the theatrical to make my point. I believe Slater's acting was spot-on for his character.However- the one thing that amazed me about this film- and the reason I own it and watch it again and again- is the cinematography. Now- I have never been on a set, nor even operated a camera- but it appears to me that the majority of shots are done using a steadicam. Remember the shot when Slater & Bacon are meeting in the jail cell for the first time? The camera starts with a long shot and then- it doesn't zoom- but moves inward, eventually passing through the cell bars and into the laps, conversations and minds of the characters. However- sometimes the camera work is done so elegantly, normal viewers don't even notice it and instead are drawn in to the story or repulsed by the events taking place. This approach- if I have my history correct- was taken at a time when the shaky-cam approach of NYPD Blue and music videos had been in vogue for some time. Though I don't watch nearly enough TV to verify that and come up with some samples, I would wager that a survey would show some evidence of a trend.Just my $.02-yaskota

Superb

I am quite surprised that this movie isn't in the top 250 when it ranks (for me) up with The Shawshank Redemption in movie faves, Shawshank being my absolute favourite.Albeit I have a certain affinity to prison and law dramas... but Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman make this movie. Christian Slater plays a somewhat bold on the inside rookie lawyer fairly well, and unfortunately some of his dialogue, as well as the judge's (name escapes me) serves to possibly weaken the movie.Bacon's performance is absolutely awe-inspiring. His talent as a true artist is shown in this movie; Young is without question a difficult character to portray and he does it brilliantly. Oldman's performance also illustrates his versatility. His portrayal of a sadistic warden is flawless.Overall the movie is quite emotional, which is its purpose. Not much more.
The story is told with few plot holes (I have yet to see a movie free of them) and it flows fairly nicely.Not quite the epic of Shawshank, but a beautiful movie nonetheless. A solid 3.5 Stars, if not 4.

Excellent drama rendered unwatchable

This film would rate a solid 7 or 8 if not for the direction. The camera is in constant motion, and I don't mean simple pans or tracking shots. I mean every scene is like standing on the bridge of a ship tossed on 30 foot waves.The director seems determined to add his spin to the somewhat static prison brutality - courtroom drama film. And boy do I mean spin !! The viewer will literally get dizzy trying to follow the actors as the camera swoops and 360s around a scene. I had to close my eyes and listen to the final courtroom scenes as my head was swimming.At least Ed Wood had the skill and common sense to set the camera on solid ground while directing his actors to kick over the cardboard tombstones.

A Movie with a Purpose

I've been reading some reviews and I've seemed to notice that the only negative comments are not about the movie but people who disagree with the message of the movie. They either critisize it for not coinciding with reality or they disagree with the message that society is at fault. But these are not faults with the movie. The only purpose of a movie of this kind is to portray an idea and provide an argument for their belief. This movie does an amazing job of portraying the idea that sometimes it is worth fighting for something that noone else believes in and that life is valuable and EVERY person has a right to be treated fairly. No, this film does not follow what actually happened 100%, but it doesn't claim to. All it does it tell a story and it does an impecable job of it. The director allows the viewer to get inside the accused's mind as he goes mad and the viewer feels helpless as he watches in horror. This is the real success of the film, to convey the feeling from the accused's point of view so that they can see him as a person for who he is. This is truly one of the best movies I have ever seen, not because it's "cool" or "hip" but because it invokes a passion inside you and by the end of the movie you will feel like you know what it is like to have nothing, have noone, and feel nothing but pain and fear. After that you can derive your own opinions about how you feel on this issue, but at least it will be an educated opinion and you will have been exposed to another point of view.

Mistreatment in the first degree

This movie comes closer to define mistreatment than even the best encyclopedia.The script or storyline is mondiane and unimaginative and if you feel you have seen it all before, so you have. 'Innocent' fighting the system - getting a bad rap - finally wins... or loses? You be the judge.The philosophical or social aspects of the relation between the severity of the crime and the punishment, the effect of environment or character, should have been treated with much more respect and more in depth. The movie is more focused on the young lawyers first case, bringing the stray thought that the intended audience is in fact lawyers ripe for some commercials.Of the few highlights are the costumes and settings and most of all the powerful judge who makes the most of the only wholesome role in the picture.To make up for the thin script (too numerous flaws to mention), the cameramen are doing their best to beef up the movie and doing quite well.(A minor glitch seen in blitzing flashes as the condemned is taken out, as no photography was allowed in the room, hence the shot of the sketching reporters).All in all the movie is mistreating the subject while not enough to put the crew behind bars, which would have served as good research.

A 'must see' for the acting performances of Bacon & Oldman

Kevin Bacon produces a most mature acting performance, using extraordinary facial expressions - although much of this is owed to the makeup artist - to produce sympathy for his character. Gary Oldman, as usual, produces a stunning performance as the Prison Governor. Watch out for the wonderful use of camera shots in the court cell; the camera moves THROUGH walls, ceilings and (how did they do it???) through the bars of the cell - all in one slow shot.Excellent film all round.

This film is very good

Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon star in this inspiring true story about two men who formed an unlikely friendship and fought against all odds to break an inhumane and unjust system.Alcatraz - the most feared prison in the world, where no man has ever escaped with his life.Hneri Young (Kevin Bacon) is caught attempting this impossible task and is condemned to the HOLE - a six by nine foot dungeon with no light or heat for "rehabilitation".For three long years, he is left naked to rot in solitary confinement, broken only by savage beatings from the brutally-sadistic Warden Glen.Henri Young is finally freed, dazed and terrorized.In a frenzied act of revenge he kills another prisoner.Public defender James Stamphill (Christian Slater) learns of Young's lost years and risks his career to defend Young and expose the ruthless regime of Alcatraz.