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Plot Summary
Based on the true story that made history, a convict is put on trial for murdering a fellow inmate and the young, inexperienced lawyer assigned to him bases his defense on the assertion that inhumane treatment at Alcatraz was responsible for the murder. Christian Slater ("Interview with the Vampire," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"), Kevin Bacon ("The River Wild," "A Few Good Men") and Gary Oldman ("JFK," "Bram Stoker"s Dracula") star in this "sobering and thought provoking" film (The Hollywood Reporter).
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Screenwriter
Producers
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
50%- Reviews Counted: 36
- Fresh: 18
- Rotten: 18
- Average Rating: 5.5/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: More than likely you will forgive the compromises -- the story of Henri Young needed to be told.
Rotten: Woefully over-manipulative and over-the-top.
Rotten: An example of what happens when a picture has everything going for it except good writing and good direction.
Fresh: A reasonably exhilarating hybrid of prison movie and courtroom drama.
Customer Reviews
Don't Listen To Rotten Tomatoes
Crtics can be funny. For this movie, it is being accused of being over-manipulated. What's wrong with this is that this movie is based upon REAL LIFE EVENTS. These were very ugly realities that did not need any help from story improvisation to be a tragedy. Which fortunately this movie did not do; they stayed within realistic boundaries. I just guess some people out there can't handle that there were and are still terrible events going on in the world that will distub a person's conscience. Personally, this for me is a movie that deserves the highest praise for getting out the tragic story of Henri Young. Great acting too, particularly towards Kevin Bacon. So don't let those people who can not percieve that they are perhaps more fortunate than others deter you from a great film. This movie is a hard one, but that's the significance of it. Murder In The First undoubtedly goes into my Top Tier list of films.
Very emotional movie, but a very good one
I don't care what Rotten Tomatoes thinks about this movie, they obviously don't know a good movie at all. Very sad but I have to say Kevin Bacon was just amazing in this movie. He's the only good actor that I know.
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- $14.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 1995
- © 1994 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.