Felon (2008)

What a waste of my time!!!

Very Cool!!!

Truly Dreadful Film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerFelon is a film about a man convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sent to prison. While in prison he learns how to survive. The story in theory and concept should be interesting and intense, but it fails to invoke intrigue in the beginning and middle parts of the film. I thought the ending was very good and the dialogue at the end was great. The violence used throughout the film was not as brutal as I expected.The acting is okay. Stephen Dorff performs rather well but he does deliver some dry lines. Marisol Nichols, Harold Perrineau, and Val Kilmer also perform well but they have deliver some shaky lines. Sam Shepard performs very well but Sam Shepard always performs well. Chris Browning's and Johnny Lewis' characters were the best.The pacing is very slow for a prison film and this makes the runtime seem rather long.Pros: Good ending, okay acting, and the third act is very good, and two really good characters mentioned aboveCons: Slow pacing, an overlong runtime, okay acting, the story had a lot more potential, and the violence was not that brutalOverall Rating: 6.8P.S. If you enjoy prison films, I would recommend Brawl in Cell Block 99. Brawl is way more intense, has a better story, it has really good acting, brutal violence, and a stunning ending. The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and American History X are also very good prison films that are touching, disturbing, and heartbreaking in their own ways.

Stephen dorff is a totally underrated and excellent actor who deserves excellent roles. This thing is very mediocre and just ism't super great. There's another movie with almost the same story line that came out sometime in the teens like 2016 maybe...it totally sucks. There are so many ultra lame movies out there on all ends of the spectrum and no-talent actors like chris pratt that the state of movie making sucks. I'd like to see stephen dorff in some really cool movies, he definitely has the acting chops if he could get the roles.

one of films about you have the conviction, behind see it, than you know all. the familiar story, the actors performances, the atmosphere, the end. after the beginning of "Felon", scene by scene, the first impression falls.because it is a film about American correctional system.but the good thing - it could not be reduced at this level. it represents one of films about basic values who defines, in a large sense, solidarity against the evil. it is a form of exorcism for our hidden fears about future. and this is the motif for who, after its end, "Felon" remains as a ball of questions in your mind.

Felon is a bitter and tragic prison drama that's packed with wrenching injustice, simmering anger and caged animal violence. Loaded with the kind of tough guy elements which make prison films exciting (check out Lock Up with Stallone), it's also has a tender side brought forth by its extremely thoughtful and well written script, which explores ideas that are both hard to swallow and very sad. Stephen Dorff, a guy who already has the gritty look as soon as he walks into a frame, plays Wade Porter, a simple family man who is just starting out at life along with his wife (Marisol Nichols). Their hopes and dreams turn into a nightmare, however, when a violent intruder breaks into their home one night. Wade strikes out in defence of himself and his wife, accidentally killing the criminal. Because of the backwards ass way the States run things, he is accused of manslaughter and sentenced to serve out jail time. He is then thrown into the dog pit, literally and figuratively. The penitentiary he is sent to is run by sadistic and corrupt Lt. Jackson (Harold Perrineau) along with his brutal enforcer Sgt. Roberts (Nick Chinlund). Jackson organizes vicious fight club style matches between the inmates, totally off the books and beyond any correctional legislations. Wade is forced to adapt, adjust and bring out monstrous aspects within himself to survive, and make it through his sentence with both his life and humanity intact. It's not an easy turn of events to watch unfold on screen, but necessary in the sense that this probably happens quite frequently to people in real life, and should be seen. The only solace Wade finds is with his gruff, veteran cell mate John Smith (Val Kilmer) a lifer who once went on a massacre of revenge against individuals who murdered his family. Smith is his guiding light, steering him through the hellish carnage of what he's forced to do and helping him to keep the candle of compassion alive within him, never losing sight of what is essential in his fight to claim his life once more. Kilmer is a force that will knock you flat in this role, an old bull with dimming fury in his eyes, a man with a bloody history that has forged the weary dog we see in the film. Late in the film he has an extended monologue to Wade, giving him both blessing and advice with some of the most truthful and affecting gravity Kilmer has showed in his career. The writer/director, who appears to be primarily a stuntman, should be commended for such a script, that could have easily been a straight up prison flick without the pathos that drips off its heartstrings. We as an audience view this painfully and prey nothing like this ever happens to us or anyone we know, hoping to see a light of hope at the end of the dark tunnel for Wade. I won't spoil it, but it's worth the hit that your emotions will take while watching, and there is hard earned catharsis to be had, and penance for the characters you want to shoot in the face along the way. The extends to brilliant work from Chris Browning, Anne Archer, Nate Parker, Johnny Lewis and a fantastic Sam Shepherd as another seasoned convict. This was correct to video as I recall, which is a crime. It's up there as my favourite prison set film that I've ever seen, a soul bearing piece.