|
| • Advanced Search • Help |
Murder In The First | Year: 1995 Classification: Drama Directed: - Marc Rocco Actors/Actresses: - Christian Slater - Kyra Sedgwick - Mia Kirshner - Kavin Bacon - Kevin Bacon - Gary Oldman Worth Watching for Kevin Bacon's Performance If you like courtroom dramas or prison movies, this movie will likely hold your interest, even though it is not an exceptional example of either of those dramas. More compelling is Kevin Bacon's performance as Henry Young, a petty criminal who was sent to Alcatraz and horribly mistreated there. The movie follows Young as he suffers through 3 years of solitary confinement in the "dungeons" of Alcatraz, and them commits a violent crime in the prison's cafeteria as soon as he is let out of solitary. He is defended at his trial by a young Harvard-educated lawyer, adequately played by Christian Slater. Slater's character defends Young by arguing that Alcatraz and the penal system is responsible for turning Young from a non-violent person to a violent one, and is therefore to blame for the murder. In other words, Slater's character "puts the system on trial". This main plot is augmented by subplots involving Slater's relationship with his older brother, and Bacon/Young's relationship with his sister, both of which go down fairly predictable paths. All in all, the movie is fairly predictable and occasionally unintentionally funny because of its over-the-top screenplay, particularly in the courtroom scenes. For example, R Lee Ermey, who plays the judge overseeing the case, is continually chiding Slater's character for "skating on thin ice" -- the two extend this metaphor for about 5 lines of terribly written dialog. The poor quality of the script, though, is usually balanced by Bacon's very good performance as the convict, a simple man jailed for stealing $5 to feed his orphaned sister. Bacon's character draws the ire of Alcatraz's sinister assistant warden (Gary Oldman) for participating in an ill-fated escape attempt. It's all downhill for Bacon/Young after that, as Oldman metes out punishment after inhumane punishment. So, I would recommend this movie to courtroom drama fans, and Kevin Bacon fans, but would advise those who are looking for an uplifting movie to watch on a Saturday night to look elsewhere. Also, since this is a review of the DVD, I'll just point us questions pregnant with ominous meanings, and continually making subtle threats against the family members. As much as the two thugs torment the family, director Haneke plays a few games with his audience as well. At several points throughout the film, one of the thugs turns to face the camera and makes various comments about what is going on or what the two are about to do. If you have even an iota of sympathy for s fun in contrast to Shirley's goody-goody pe el ty>Usually ships an't we have them here too? Let us hope that Americans will wa rves its reputation. Fans will oooh and aaah at the generous extras included, especially the outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, and all races (except the Narns) add more colour. Intrigue, smuggling, dealing, double-dealing, romance, all leavened with humourous touches throughout - what more could you ask! F Buy Murder In The First at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Murder In The First Search with the Priority Search Engine on Murder In The First This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
|
