Felon (2008)

The family man Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is living the American Dream with his girlfriend Laura (Marisol Nichols) and their son Michael: they have a nice house, he has just raised a loan to make his company grow and they are going to get married. However their dream becomes a nightmare when Wade unintentionally kills a burglar that had broken into their house in the middle of the night on his lawn. He is sent to trial and accepts a deal proposed by the prosecutor, being sentenced to three years in prison. During the transportation, there is an incident in the bus and Wade is framed and sent to the maximum security wing under the command of the corrupt Lieutenant Jackson (Harold Perrineau). His cell-mate John Smith (Val Kilmer) that was sentenced to life revenging the death of his family befriends Wade and gives helpful advices and hope to Wade to return to his family.

The good "Felon" is another movie that discloses the corruption and brutality in the American Penal system, where the rules of a civilized society are neither followed by the inmates nor by most of the security guards. The dramatic story is engaging, and it is great to see Val Kilmer having again a top-notch performance after a long period of weak movies. Stephen Dorff is also great in the role of a family man that is unfairly imprisoned for protecting his family and dehumanizes and desensitizes to survive in the prison. The unrealistic conclusion is commercial and moralist, reducing the power and impact of the plot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Felon"

Fmovies: Let me say first off that I'm not into that whole action-thriller-nail biting-under ware staining kinda movie....which is OK because this film is more of a drama than anything else. It kinda reminded me of "The Shawshank Redemption" (another great movie) with Stephen Dorff being Tim Robbins and Val Kilmer being Morgan Freeman (the comparison is a little bit forced but still valid with the two movies plots being somewhat similar). The movie delivers a very diverse emotional palette, with tear breaking scenes all the way to explicit hardcore violence thanks to incredible acting by Dorff, Kilmer and Perrineau, truly bringing their characters to life. All in all, one of the best action dramas i've seen.....definitely a must see movie.

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.

Felon fmovies. Felon is an outstanding film and externally well written. It's defiantly one of those films that you can watch again and again.

Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is an average guy, successful business, and living with his fiancé and son. All is going well for him until one day a swift moment of judgement ends him up in prison. From here on in, his idea of normality and normal society rules get turned on their heads as he gets to grips with another world of prison rules and prison society ...but this film is much more than about one man serving his time. The line that John Smith (Val Kilmer) puts over a couple of times in the film, "When your life is defined by a single action, you change the concept of time", is interwoven into all the individual characters plots so brilliantly, this film hits you on some many different levels.

Marisol Nichols, who I have only seen in 24 before, gives a great performance as Wade Porter's fiancé, struggling to make ends meat while he is in prison. Can't forget Val Kilmer who gives a Strong performance as well. In fact I can't knock anybody in it, it's not often that the actors, characters and script all seem like they where made for each other.

i cannot think of the words to praise this film as it is one of the most awe inspiring films i have ever seen. it will make everyone who watches it appreciate everything in their life so much more. truly one of the great films of this century....it will probably not be remembered like this but it truly is. The acting is superb, by all the actors. It is an emotional roller-coaster of a film, bringing you emotions as varied as sorrow, joy and anger. It makes you realise the unjust nature of the world we live 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.....the best film i have seen for many years bar none,a truly inspiring piece of filmwork and story telling, a must see for everyone :D

I was expecting another prison movie with just more rapes and violence, but i was pleasantly surprised. Val Kilmer is great and Stephen Dorff is great as well. It reminded me a little of The Shawshank redemption and an Innocent man. It shows how difficult life can be for someone whom lives a hardworking and honest life to enter the prison system filled with career criminals and gang members.

This movie encompasses friendships, hardships, and injustices. Even though the circumstances between the characters and the viewers are quite different, you don't feel that far removed from what the characters are going through.