Rating: 
Summary: Worth Watching for Kevin Bacon's Performance
Review: 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 out that the DVD has no extras (not even a trailer), the sound quality is adequate, and the video quality is slightly below average. (You'll notice some aliasing/ghosting in some poorly lit scenes.)
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely Acting
Review: It is truly sad that a little historic inaccuracy will cause people to say that this is "one of the poorest films ever directed." If it were true that historic inaccuracy creates a poor movie than both Braveheart and The Messenger would both be horrible movies, CLEARLY that is not true. Braveheart was one of the greatest movies of all time with The Messenger being gripping despite being a little "edgy." Murder in the First is no differant, Christian Slater and Keven Bacon I have found true respect for after acting so gorgeously their parts. Anyone who says any differant must, honestly, be declared legaly blind.
True, the court room scenes were relatively inaccurate, with Christian Slater pushing the envelope consistantly. But, than again, if he didn't we wouldn't have truly realized just how "green" he was. The storyline is expected and, honestly, has been done before. However, the actors hold this movie and carry it through even the weakest moments of plot.
The director has had his very "poor" (to put it lightly) moments in the past with earlier films he has directed. However, with Murder in the First he manages to stick his head above the [stuff] he had created before and rise above with beautiful shots and lighting that is truly breathtaking without ever pulling away from the acting. As I have already stated, the movie rides on the actors, the director honestly made the effort to keep everything toned down to make it "all about them". The director did a public service and this movie is beautiful. I would highly recommend it, it is sentemental and sad without being overly so. Watch this film (at least) to see the performances of Bacon and Slater, they are worth any amount of money.
Rating: 
Summary: "You can't handle the truth!"
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I've had the honor of seeing.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I've had the honor of seeing.
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Action - Reaction
Review: Movie Summary: Henri Young was caught stealing $5 to feed is little sister and ended up in prison on Alcatraz Island. Years later he is caught trying to escape. For this he incurs the wrath of the Associate warden. Henri is put into solitary confinement for over 3 years. He is savagely beaten and tortured during this time. When he is finally released back into the prison's general population he is barely human. At the prompting of another inmate, Henri attacks and kills the stool pigeon who ratted on the escape attempt and caused Henri to have to spend 3 years in the hole. Now Henri is accused of Murder in the First Degree and facing the death penalty. It's an open and shut case, a sure loser, so they give it to James Stamphill, a green lawyer fresh out of school, as a practice case. But there is one thing they didn't count on, that James would actually try to win. My Opinion: I had seen the trailer for Murder in the First on many other DVDs and finally got around to seeing it. The story takes place in the 1930s and I like this period of American history, so it is not surprising that I enjoyed the movie very much despite its purported "flaws". One of the things that has been called a flaw is that it is only loosely based on a true story. This seems to bother some people. The real Henri Young was not so nice a guy and the prison Warden not so bad a guy. But we have to remember that this is a movie, made for entertainment purposes. Had they made a documentary instead, it would not have been nearly as entertaining. I don't consider this a flaw. The other weak point that people have brought up are the courtroom scenes. I enjoyed these but others have called them silly and contrived. They are not up to the realistic standards of show like Law and Order, but they are not that bad either. I did notice however that the DA did not cross examine Henri which seemed strange. These "flaws" or weaknesses fade into the background however if you catch onto the main themes which are friendship and freedom. I enjoyed these parts of the movie the most. To see how different things were important to Henri and James was very interesting. To James it started out as just a case he had to win. To Henri it was a chance to have a friend for the first time in his life. In the end they share both. As for the acting, I thought both Slater and Bacon were excellent. I forgot at times that it was Kevin Bacon and saw him as Henri. For a star as highly recognizable as Kevin Bacon, I think this is a big compliment. DVD Quality: Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 (not 2.35:1 as listed) and full screen, DD2.0. Good picture quality. No extra features what so ever. What You Should Do: See it if you like Court Room dramas. Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon both give great performances which are worth seeing. This is a very low priced DVD so it doesn't cost much more to buy than to rent so that is an option as well. Related Movies To Check Out: True Crime, The Untouchables, To Kill a Mocking Bird
Rating:
Summary: A first-rate film!
Review: MURDER IN THE FIRST begins just as an escape attempt from the maximum-security federal penitentiary at Alcatraz has failed. Two escapees are dead, a third (the informant) is returned to his cell, and a fourth, a young man named Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), is placed into a dingy, black hole underneath the ground. He remains there for three years, only visited by Associate Warden Glenn (Gary Oldman) and his vicious beatings and a spider that knows a way out. Once he is released, Young is placed back into the prison population. With revenge consuming him, he lashes out at the informant who was responsible for landing him in confinement by running a spoon through the man's throat. Unknowing of the treatment that transformed Young from petty thief to cold-blooded killer, the government tries Young for first degree murder. Enter Christian Slater who stars as James Stamphill, an up and coming public defender who is assigned to defend Henry Young and maybe the only person in Young's life who doesn't want to just give up on the man. While how much of the story is actually true and how much of the story has been created by Hollywood is in question, there's no doubt that MURDER IN THE FIRST is entertaining. While most of the things about Henry Young are true, I understand that some liabilities have been made with the characters played by Christian Slater and Gary Oldman. That shouldn't matter though. They are not the heart of the story. Henry Young is at the heart of the story and the fact that any of this ever happened to a man is horrific and makes it a story deserving to be told. And even if all of this had never truly happened (I wish it hadn't), and the story was a complete work of fiction by a Hollywood screenwriter it will still be a good movie and an involving look into the human psyche. For his performance as Henry Young, Kevin Bacon should have been nominated for an Academy Award. With his haunting eyes and his unhealthy appearing weight loss alone, Bacon makes us care for the character. His performance is flawless. Christian Slater does also does well in one of the finer acting choices of his career (aside from TRUE ROMANCE and INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE). His Slaterism's are often subdued for a more relaxed, more innocent man approach, which works rather well. Gary Oldman, who I would go as far as to say is the most underrated actor in Hollywood, gives another great, over the top performance which to me comes as no surprise. I've never seen Gary Oldman once seem like the same man in anything he's ever been in. That' s got to say something for his talents. With great performances and an endearing story, MURDER IN THE FIRST is a first-rate film. And, despite its title, it's not about a murder. It's about life. Maybe I'm a simpleton but I liked it. B+
Rating:
Summary: A first-rate film!
Review: MURDER IN THE FIRST begins just as an escape attempt from the maximum-security federal penitentiary at Alcatraz has failed. Two escapees are dead, a third (the informant) is returned to his cell, and a fourth, a young man named Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), is placed into a dingy, black hole underneath the ground. He remains there for three years, only visited by Associate Warden Glenn (Gary Oldman) and his vicious beatings and a spider that knows a way out. Once he is released, Young is placed back into the prison population. With revenge consuming him, he lashes out at the informant who was responsible for landing him in confinement by running a spoon through the man's throat. Unknowing of the treatment that transformed Young from petty thief to cold-blooded killer, the government tries Young for first degree murder. Enter Christian Slater who stars as James Stamphill, an up and coming public defender who is assigned to defend Henry Young and maybe the only person in Young's life who doesn't want to just give up on the man. While how much of the story is actually true and how much of the story has been created by Hollywood is in question, there's no doubt that MURDER IN THE FIRST is entertaining. While most of the things about Henry Young are true, I understand that some liabilities have been made with the characters played by Christian Slater and Gary Oldman. That shouldn't matter though. They are not the heart of the story. Henry Young is at the heart of the story and the fact that any of this ever happened to a man is horrific and makes it a story deserving to be told. And even if all of this had never truly happened (I wish it hadn't), and the story was a complete work of fiction by a Hollywood screenwriter it will still be a good movie and an involving look into the human psyche. For his performance as Henry Young, Kevin Bacon should have been nominated for an Academy Award. With his haunting eyes and his unhealthy appearing weight loss alone, Bacon makes us care for the character. His performance is flawless. Christian Slater does also does well in one of the finer acting choices of his career (aside from TRUE ROMANCE and INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE). His Slaterism's are often subdued for a more relaxed, more innocent man approach, which works rather well. Gary Oldman, who I would go as far as to say is the most underrated actor in Hollywood, gives another great, over the top performance which to me comes as no surprise. I've never seen Gary Oldman once seem like the same man in anything he's ever been in. That' s got to say something for his talents. With great performances and an endearing story, MURDER IN THE FIRST is a first-rate film. And, despite its title, it's not about a murder. It's about life. Maybe I'm a simpleton but I liked it. B+
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing; impressive performances.
Review: Murder in the First is a film based on the story of real-life Alcatraz inmate Henry Young. Although it is true that he did attempt an unsuccessful escape, the facts of who he really was and his treatment at Alcatraz remain in dispute. It may be impossible for us today to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to the real facts since most of the historical documents we now possess were produced by the prison authorities of that time who needless to say had a vested interest in defending the integrity of their system. That said, movie itself is intriguing with an especially excellent performance by Kevin Bacon as Henry Young. I first saw this with about ten other guys and their eyes were all glued to the screen from beginning to end. Young's lawyer played by Christian Slater, and the Assistant Warden, portrayed by Gary Oldman (how many different faces does he have?) contribute to a really fine film. The only weak part seemed to be the judge, which may reflect some of the story imperfections. However, this is one film that carries its own weight without the use of incredible special effects. Instead, its success relies on the actors' talents, and they are talented indeed. The film may have gone slightly out of character though by having Kelsey Grammar (Frasier) walk through in a cameo as one of the inmates. A friend and I saw this simultaneously and we both broke out laughing.
Rating:
Summary: great movie:2.35:1 ?
Review: murder in the first what a fantastic film .i dont like kevin bacon at all but he was great as henry ,gary oldman was as chilling as ever, great british actor.and slater is always first class,my only complaint is its to dark for long periods i know its a prion but its also a movie that deserves to be seen that said a very good prison fick betted only by papillon,i once rented it on laserdisc wasn,t it presented in full letterbox format?
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