Felon

The picture tells the authentic experiences of convicts of a prison that is a hell on the earth, reflecting the hardship existence of the inmates .We have seen men tortured,harassed and humiliated in a gaol where rules the strongest law.

An ordinary family man (Stephen Dorff, also producer) is a fine worker with a good woman(Marisol Nichols) and one son. However he kills a delinquent in loyal defense. Then he's accused and as convict is sent to a severe jail. There is harassed and humiliated until that the fury and revenge emerge. He's only helped by a con (Val Kilmer)framed for life. The film takes place into four walls of a jail and its yard involving the tough life of the prisoners.The starring confronts risks and sufferings for reaching freedom.

This interesting film is essentially developed in prison with some images out prison. The greatest part is narrated into courtyard prison because of it reflects the violent existence of the inmates, with the fights,threats,murders and where rules the strongest's law. In the picture there are thrills,violence,drama,tension and a little bit of action in the final confrontation. The picture obtained enough success, it's a real ¨Sleeper¨ . Stephen Dorff's interpretation is very fine but Val Kilmer is much better, he makes a terrific acting as the veteran convict who teaches at naive inmate to taking on the risks and dangers of the gaol ; his performance bears remarkable resemblance to Ben Kingsley in ¨An innocent man¨ directed by Peter Yates and that also has certain similarities in the argument. And of course, Harold Perrineau as sensation-hungry nasty warden is top-notch. Furthermore, the picture contains realist cinematography and atmospheric musical score. Ric Roman Waugh directs with genius and masterfully transcending the issue and gives something definitively original. The story will appeal to Prison genre enthusiast and Val Kilmer fans. Rating : Very good. Better than average, well worth watching.

This movie would be so much better if it wasn't filmed in such a shaky manner. It made me totally seasick. Great story, acting and premise, though. We really enjoyed the idea.

But I could barely watch - I had to mostly just listen to it. Filming with constant motion does NOT make the movie better. I hate when movies are like this.

This was just great, guys - I loved it!

The acting was great, the script was great, the cast was great! I was actually moved by the performances and the storyline in this movie. It made me realize that I take lots of stuff for granted in this world. As easily as waking up in the morning - as easily and swiftly your life can be turned upside down. This movie perspectivates ones life and at the end, what you're left with, is the feeling of fulfillment and the urge to do something good to the ones you love - or find somebody to love and take good care of them.

A bit gory and ironic at the end - but overall - like one of the other reviews said - one of the greater prison-movies! ...And Val Kilmer - OMG - GREAT JOB, DUDE!

What a great experience, guys! Thank you for that!

/Martin Jakobsen

Despite the proliferation of prison movies since, well, ever, FELON manages to be a fresh and entertaining example of the genre. Stephen Dorff (remember him?) stars as an ordinary family guy who accidentally kills a burglar and finds himself in a high-security prison.

The usual prison clichés abound, with a lot of the focus on brutal fisticuffs as inmates battle it out for supremacy. It reminded me a little of Van Damme's IN HELL, although while that was a pure action film with superbly staged fights, FELON concentrates on the drama between the characters.

Overall, the film holds together well. Time is taken to get to know the characters, not just the prisoners but also those on the outside: the brutal guard who takes his problems home with him, the wife struggling to make it with a husband in prison. It's a film which avoids stereotyping heroes and villains and does well because of it.

One of the real strengths - and this is a surprise - is Val Kilmer in a supporting role as a seasoned lifer. Kilmer turns out to be excellent, bringing real gravitas to his role; to put it bluntly, I've never seen him this good before, and watching him inhabit his role is a real pleasure. Dorff, too, is actually pretty decent, making it easy for the viewer to sympathise with his character's plight.

FELON certainly isn't a classic film, and it's far from the best of the prison movie sub-genre, but it's one of those movies you catch on TV late at night which leaves a real impression. I really liked it.

I was lucky to see a screener for this film. At first I wasn't expecting much as the last film I saw with Val Kilmer-Conspiracy-I shut off 15 minutes into it in disgust.

Felon, is an excellent film with great acting, a great plot and good dialog. This is by far the best movie I've seen Stephen Dorf in and Val Kilmer gives a solid performance. While the storyline flirts with typical prison antagonists and a pseudo-familiar plot the story is very realistic and highly believable.

Lots of suspense, good solid action, excellent cinematography and great acting make this film a must see for drama/suspense fans. Its great to see Val Kilmer resuming his place as one of the best actors of his generation.