Genres

Visitors Review

hizman 2012-05-23 22:33:58

a prison action film on ... family values?!!

One of the best films of the year.Dramatical and brutal action (main incentive for men in movies) ends upwith a solid moral statement, Family is the number one priority. Iloved the excellent thriller aspect blended with the old-schoolrepublican values - hard work and protecting one's family at all costs.Another detail that makes the film so different is that the characteris encouraged to accept the change in his soul, instead of foreverblaming himself for the monster he became. The pressure and violence hesuffered in prison rather stimulated him to treasure the simplisticAmerican dream that caused him to survive.

2012-05-23 09:38:10

Very powerful & moving drama.

I was drawn to this as there is a comic book called Felon and the movie title is similar to the comic title font & style. Turns out it's a mere coincidence but I'm glad I saw the DVD box and discovered this.I'm a sucker for prison dramas as they always help me feel grateful for what I have in life. Shawshank Redemption is a top 10 fave and The Last Castle + An Innocent Man are favorites as well.This just got added to the list! Kilmer is great in this movie and while it is brutal & graphic, the story is powerful & touching. I watched the first 40 minutes before work and couldn't wait to finish it after getting home!Many may be skeptical about it being a non-Theatrical release but MANY that do make it aren't worth half the time as this.I highly recommend this for teens/adults who like dramas about human spirit/emotional strenght and/or prison dramas.

Andrew L. Urban 2012-05-21 15:44:30

The plot expands and gets more complex as the story progresses, and the dramatic tension ratchets up

2012-05-21 07:51:21

"The most electrifying and shell shocking movie I've seen this year."

The second best film I've seen for the year and I've seen a lot. I have been right in my choices of the annual academy awards winner for 9 out 10 movies during the past ten years. I'm surprised that Val Kilmer didn't even get nominated for best supporting actor for this years Golden globe. Was that really Val? This movie has two of the best QUOTES I've ever heard and I will make sure it's a part of my collection.

Mr Saxon 2012-05-21 15:21:24

Excellent

Most prison movies are essentially the same story told with differentcharacters. Usually the protagonist is convicted of a crime (which hedid or did not do), is sent to prison and finds that they have toeither adapt to their brutal new surroundings or die. Allies are won,enemies are made, death lurks around the corner. "Felon" is nodifferent but three things raise it above most others.First is the setting. Filmed at the New Mexico State Penitentiary, themovie carries an air of authenticity and gritty realism that movie setssimply can't provide. Next is the casting. Stephen Dorff has always been a very underratedactor and here he provides a wonderful portrayal of a man let down bythe legal system and cast adrift in a living nightmare. His descentfrom upstanding family man to an enraged prison inmate with fire in hiseyes and blood on his knuckles is perhaps predictable but Dorff sellsthe portrayal to the audience completely. However, Harold Perrineau andVal Kilmer are the real stars here. The first (whom avid fans of thetelevision shows "Lost" and "Oz" will already be familiar with) offersa great performance as Lieutenant Jackson, a happy family orientatedman outside of prison but a monster within its walls. Kilmer,meanwhile, is John Smith, the philosophical but potentially dangerousconvict who comes to befriend Dorff's Wade during their time together. The third and final ingredient that ensures "Felon" impresses, is thepassionate directing by Ric Roman Waugh who also wrote the screenplay(based, apparently, on events at the notorious Californian StatePrison). With the help of some incredible editing, the movie powersalong at a frantic rate and rarely gives the audience time to breathe.If the ending is somewhat contrived, you can forgive it because thejourney to reach the conclusion was so intense.Highly recommended, especially for fans of "The Shawshank Redemption","The Big House", "An Innocent Man" and "Lock Up".

John P. McCarthy 2012-05-20 18:51:59

Felon ventures outside the prison walls so often that the audience doesnâ(TM)t get a prolonged sense of the claustrophobia of confinement; the rage being displayed actually dispels the sense of isolation and boredom.

2012-05-19 23:36:39

Great Movie

This review is from: Felon (DVD) This movie is great. I've never seen a movie that made me feel this is what it would be like for ME if I went to prison. Note: I'm NOT a drug dealer, cold blooded murderer, gang banger, etc.

2012-05-19 06:48:08

Grim, powerful tale

What would you do?A young man, just coming into his own, with a growing business and a loving young family, wakes beside his fiancee one night with the realization that someone has invaded their home. It all happens so fast: he tracks the burglar, follows him out of the house with a baseball bat, and seeing the man going for what he thinks is a weapon, he unleashes a killer blow to the back of the man's head. The burglar, as it turns out, had no weapon; his only take, the homeowner's wallet. And because the killing blow happens outside the home, the young man is charged with murder.Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff)has apparently never been in trouble with the law before, past what most of us have; and he enters the world of jail scared and confused. His fiancee, angry with the system,sticks with him (a good performance by Marisol Nichols), shielding their young son from the worst of the truth, and keeping contact going with Wade, which is the only thing that sustains him in his journey through the system. He is able to bargain the charge down to manslaughter, but still is given time; and complicates his life even further by becoming involved in a scuffle on the bus going to prison,adding more time to his sentence.Arrival at the prison plunges him into a dark world where survival is all. There are rival gangs, and no one can be counted on as an ally. Wade only wants to do his time and get out. But coloring the entire prison existence is a pervasive corruption amongst the prison guards, with one guard in particular as ringleader (Harold Perrineau, easily recognizable to LOST fans, in a gritty performance as a guard who turned sadistic). As Lt. Jackson, this head guard has a major problem with prison inmates and runs bets on who will win yard fights without doing anything to stop them until he steps in himself by shooting the offender he likes the least - not to kill, but only to maim. Wade's fortunes change just a little when he is given a new cellmate - a lifer who has been moved to this new facility as a last-ditch effort by the warden in his previous prison to keep the man out of further trouble. This new cellmate, John Smith (Val Kilmer), comes with a history of respect that has permeated the prison system. He is legendary for having murdered the families of the men who killed his own family, and the other prisoners leave him alone. Wade is initially apprehensive of his new cellmate, but the two become guarded friends over the course of time, and John schools Wade in how to survive.The prime mover in the second half of this drama, however, is Lt. Jackson's maniacal obsession with taking out his life's frustrations on the prisoners under his control. He also controls most of the guards; the one holdout, a young recent hire who has come from the military, watches Lt. Jackson's cruel practices with a pained eye but only makes a move when the prisoners, under Wade and John's influence, make a stand against him. And what Lt. Jackson doesn't know is that Wade's fiancee, with damning evidence provided by Wade, has gone to the FBI with what's going on in the prison.This was a powerful movie; very sad, also. I found myself aching for Wade, who should have never been in the situation in which he found himself. The prison experience was presented with the foreboding that it probably is in reality; the gangs hang with their own, they battle with rival gangs, and discipline is meted out amongst each other. It was a rough movie to watch, but very absorbing; and all performances - including a small but great role by an old favourite, the excellent actor Sam Sheppard - were outstanding. Val Kilmer looks a bit like the Big Lebowski, with a bushy goatee, but plays his don't-look-at-me-or-I'll-killya role to perfection.Not a big-marquee movie, but well done and fast-paced.

2012-05-18 10:56:21

'Prison desensitizes you'

Writer/Director Ric Roman Waugh may not have a large number of completed films under his stuntman belt, but if FELON is any indication of the quality of work we can expect from him, it seems he has a solid future. There are many films about prison life and prison breaks that keep coming down the pike, but few of them have the quality of being character studies of how prison affects the minds and lives of both those incarcerated and those on the outside who must deal with the realities both concurrent and future of living in the shadow of ultimate effects of prison experiences. FELON is a strong character-based prison drama. Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is a young man on the rise: he is planning to marry the mother Laura (Marisol Nichols) of his child Michael (Vincent Miller), his small business is finally becoming successful, and his family life is happy. One evening Wade's and Laura's sleep is interrupted by an intruder who steals Wade's wallet, then runs out of the house with Wade chasing him with a baseball bat. One hit with the bat the robber is dead. The police arrive and because of the logistics of the timing of the blow to the robber, Wade is arrested for murder. Unsuccessful attempts to explain the situation eventually lead to Wade's being sentenced to prison and he is sent to a prison run by a sadistic Lt. Jackson (Harold Perrineau) with demons of his own. A famous prisoner John Smith (Val Kilmer) is transferred to the prison and becomes cellmates with Wade. The racial violence between prisoners creates rules and gangs and Wade is caught up in the violence that occurs in the daily 'hour in the yard' experiences, until John shares his knowledge of prison logistics and advises Wade in how to avoid critical issues. The prisoners are not only violent among themselves, but they are also the pawns of the brutally evil Lt. Jackson and his crew who appear to delight in the traumas the prisoners create. It is obvious that the good guy/bad guy line is blurred and in order to survive Wade follows John's wise council to an ending that eventually results in some correction of the evils of the prison situation.Survival is the key in the cases of many of the characters, including some of the 'good guards' (Nate Parker, Greg Serano), the steadfast Laura, her mother (a small but well defined role for Annie Archer), and for former guard Gordon (Sam Shepard) a friend of John Smith. Dorff and Kilmer provide very strong characterizations as does Perrineau, but without the fairly large cast of 'fellow prisoners' who set the scenes, their overall performances would be less impressive. It is here that Ric Roman Waugh demonstrates his talent for handling the mixture of physical brutality with the fragility of each individual's mind that makes the film work. It is a tough film to watch but it is solid craftsmanship. Grady Harp, September 08

collioure_bee 2012-05-17 23:02:13

Is It Me?

I cannot understand the fuss being made about this film.It starts well enough making you very empathetic towards the leadcharacter Wade Porter who reacts to a situation in the way we all liketo think we would. The system then takes control of things and his lifeis changed forever.There are some strong performances here, Stephen Dorf and MarisolNichols cannot be faulted but they are not working with much to behonest.The storyline stretches the imagination a little too far and our naiveand scared newbie to the system suddenly becomes a world beater andface to be reckoned with overnight. The final scenes seemed rushed to me, no real build up to breaking thesystem, just a sudden suggestion that if made earlier could have savedus all from wasting a fair amount of time. The marks I've given this film are just for the film, as I said theperformances from the main roles was good including Perrineau who Iliked in Oz too.

2012-05-15 11:32:51

Defending an American Family

A next movie of the criminal complexity psychotic abusers - both inmates and officers, sexual abuses and happy-as-targeted ends for believing in the "family moral values".Also it is hard to follow violence, it is even harder to believe in a plot.

Cinema_Love 2012-05-14 20:28:51

Strong performances in a very good and breath-taking movie !

Felon looks like your ordinary movie about people who go to prison totry to escape or to fight for their lives, it's in part in the movie,about surviving in a prison ! Am I the only one who watch this andthough it was another Direct to DVD above average movie, damn, ValKilmer was doing a lot of bad stuff theses days, i enjoy conspiracy butexcept that the past 2-3 years... and he comes out with that, don't besurprised if he win prize for actor in a supporting role, he'sexcellent, he prooves why here he is a top dog !! Someone laugh at merecently when I said that stephen dorff was an excellent actor in theleagues of Christian Bale, both debut in war movies (ok Gate for Dorffbut still..) in the 80s-90s, except that Dorff did a few bad things, ithink he can come back with something as good as this, an excellentactor, remind me of a young Kiefer Sutherland !

2012-05-09 04:42:58

OMG! Where Was This Movie!

Prison movies are great if done right.In this one, it doesn't matter if your are black,white,hispanic etc.The good and the bad have no racial barriers.The movie quickly absorbs you and gives you a feeling ofdiscomfort more than once. You'll say "How can people do these things to each other"?Highly recommended!

setox 2012-05-08 11:58:39

Amazing movie

this movie was amazing and i thought the trailer kinda sucked but iwent to see it anyway and i really loved the movie and the acting wasgreat. i don't really have anything else to say about this movie but ihave to write 1,000 words in order to post this up. i think its kindasilly i just want to write how good this way and leave my comment thatway so if anyone reads this please watch this movie this. and thispersons comments about this movie was right "i cannot think of thewords to praise this film as it is one of the most awe inspiring filmsi have ever seen. it will make everyone who watches it appreciateeverything in their life so much more. truly one of the great films ofthis century....it will probably not be remembered like this but ittruly is. The acting is superb, by all the actors. It is an emotionalroller-coaster of a film, bringing you emotions as varied as sorrow,joy and anger. It makes you realise the unjust nature of the world welive in, and how the worst things can happen to the nicest of people.If i can sum up in a sentence what i feel about this film it is.....thebest film i have seen for many years bar none,a truly inspiring pieceof filmwork and story telling, a must see for everyone :D "

2012-04-29 15:24:58

This movie will keep you on the right path

Ever thought about doing something bad? This movie will take that thought right out of you. Most people who have never been locked up cannot relate to prisons and jail outside of Hollywood, but this movie illustrates the careful balance that an inmate must face when he's locked away from society. Do you cooperate with the hierarchy of guards and prison security enforcement? Or do you join a prison gang and learn to be vicious with both guards and fellow inmates? Which of these two survival strategies are more effective?This movie is about a regular guy, not a lifer named Porter, who has to choose which strategy will be more effective. He is blessed (or maybe cursed) with a great opportunity to become a snitch and he must choose whether to rat-out a cold blooded criminal and hope that he can ride out his sentence in protective custody, or live by the code of silence that is absolutely necessary if one hopes to survive in general population.Felon illustrates the sad reality of prison life in the more dangerous prisons in the United States. You have to choose a prison gang, because if you roll alone, you will be crushed and nobody will protect you. Most prison gangs are divided by race. Even the non racist finds himself joining the aryan nation and might find himself brawling the hispanics and blacks.This movie is hard to watch for any young man who has actually found himself in situations that might get him into trouble. If you are on the borderline of living a life of crime, watch this movie. Is this really the kind of life you want? Being locked up with a bunch of psycopaths, being forced to join prison gangs, and brawling on a constant basis for nothing?Aside from showing a young man in just this situation, it also is a love story. To what extent can your family survive when you are on the inside? Where will they get the money? Who will be there to protect them? Porter has to hope that his wife will stick by him as he can offer nothing to her since he is stuck behind bars.If nothing else, this movie will convince you to stay out of trouble.

pyrilamine2003 2012-04-29 01:48:06

Can't believe this was rated so high!

I can't understand why no one even mentioned the fact that the camerais shaking all over the place!! The film looks like it was shot with ahand held camcorder by one person! This is ridiculous! I can't evenwatch 5 minutes! I wish I could watch the movie but the camera work istoo nauseating! I won't be watching anymore of this guys work. When youwrite a review, knowing that the camera shakes is usually a good thingto mention. I can't believe I need 10 lines to submit a review.. whatelse can I say about this movie??? I couldn't watch it! Cloverfield,Bourne Identity, Bionic woman, etc etc everyone is using this techniqueand it drives me up the wall. All you people who give good ratings andmoney to these movies make this popular! This is all you see! I likepeople who say that these movies are more realistic, but what good is afight scene when you can't see who is shooting/punching who etc.Smarten up people you're getting ripped off.

kaisch 2012-04-27 03:29:48

one of the better prison films

I give it a 10 out of 10 because it kept me in front of the screen, Ithink it portrayed the prison life from many different perspectives.Despite this dark storyline it's a film I enjoyed more than many othersin the last years. It's the first time I leave a comment in 3 years atIMDb, just to let you understand how I enjoyed this film. Allcharacters are developed to suit the overall story, without going toodeep or to shallow. Especially Harold Perrineau surprised me, this ishis best performance to date. Val Kilmer was just a pleasure to see,this dark Character suited him very well, his acting becomes better andbetter the older he gets. Great screenplay followed up by a formidablecast. I look forward to see more from Ric Roman Waugh.

2012-04-26 16:41:42

A Good Buy

This review is from: Felon (DVD) Great movie all the way through. Realistic approach to a prison movie (for a change). Thumbs way up in my opinion.

2012-04-23 08:51:11

A Good Seller

This review is from: Felon (DVD) The film arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition. A pleasure to buy, here.

ma-cortes 2012-04-22 21:49:40

Superb and intelligent drama-prison with an extraordinary acting by Val Kilmer

The picture tells the authentic experiences of convicts of a prisonthat is a hell on the earth, reflecting the hardship existence of theinmates .We have seen men tortured,harassed and humiliated in a gaolwhere rules the strongest law.An ordinary family man (Stephen Dorff, also producer) is a fine workerwith a good woman(Marisol Nichols) and one son. However he kills adelinquent in loyal defense. Then he's accused and as convict is sentto a severe jail. There is harassed and humiliated until that the furyand revenge emerge. He's only helped by a con (Val Kilmer)framed forlife. The film takes place into four walls of a jail and its yardinvolving the tough life of the prisoners.The starring confronts risksand sufferings for reaching freedom.This interesting film is essentially developed in prison with someimages out prison. The greatest part is narrated into courtyard prisonbecause of it reflects the violent existence of the inmates, with thefights,threats,murders and where rules the strongest's law. In thepicture there are thrills,violence,drama,tension and a little bit ofaction in the final confrontation. The picture obtained enough success,it's a real ¨Sleeper¨ . Stephen Dorff's interpretation is very fine butVal Kilmer is much better, he makes a terrific acting as the veteranconvict who teaches at naive inmate to taking on the risks and dangersof the gaol ; his performance bears remarkable resemblance to BenKingsley in ¨An innocent man¨ directed by Peter Yates and that also hascertain similarities in the argument. And of course, Harold Perrineauas sensation-hungry nasty warden is top-notch. Furthermore, the picturecontains realist cinematography and atmospheric musical score. RicRoman Waugh directs with genius and masterfully transcending the issueand gives something definitively original. The story will appeal toPrison genre enthusiast and Val Kilmer fans. Rating : Very good. Betterthan average, well worth watching.