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Murder in the First Reviews

1995
2 hr 2 mins
Drama, Suspense
R

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A lawyer defends a young convict driven insane by three years in solitary confinement in Alcatraz. Having originally been incarcerated for stealing five dollars, the young man's escape attempt lands him on the wrong side of the cruel warden, whose severe punishment far outweighs the convict's crime. Based on a true story.

Substantial, well-acted, old-fashioned legal drama based on the true story of Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), a prisoner in Alcatraz who was virtually tortured during the 1930s. Christian Slater is the principled attorney who comes to his rescue; Gary Oldman is a sadistic warden. Nothing new here, but director Marc Rocco (WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU) deserves credit for taking on a serious, unpopular issue -- the rights of prisoners. Bacon is outstanding.