Murder in the First

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Murder in the First

Murder in the First DVD cover
Directed by Marc Rocco
Produced by Marc Rocco
David L. Wolper
Written by Dan Gordan
Starring Christian Slater
Kevin Bacon
Gary Oldman
Distributed by Warner Bros
Release date(s) January 20, 1995
Running time 122 min
Country USA
Language English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Murder in the First is a 1995 film, directed by Marc Rocco, about a petty criminal named Henri Young (played by Kevin Bacon) who is unjustly sent to Alcatraz.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Henri Young had stolen $5.00 from a grocery store/US Post Office to feed himself and his little sister, both of whom are destitute. Young is sentenced to prison and he is sent to Alcatraz, as were many criminals arrested for petty crimes according to the film, in order to fill it up. After an escape attempt fails due to the betrayal of a fellow inmate, he is sent to solitary confinement where he is mostly forgotten (excepting for occasional periods of torture) for three years, exceeding the maximum sentence of nineteen days, and eventually goes mad. Upon being released, Henri experiences a psychotic episode in the cafeteria and attacks the inmate who betrayed his escape attempt, stabbing him to death with a spoon in full view of the prison staff and convict population.

Henri is put on trial for the murder, in what is thought would be an open-and-shut case. There are very few lawyers willing to represent him, but one man, James Stamphill, a novice lawyer looking to make partner in a prestigious firm, agrees to take the case out of desperation over the need to do some serious legal work. After witnessing Henri's state of affairs, the young lawyer attempts to put Alcatraz on trial, accusing the prison and it's warden of the murder, and of using Henri Young as the murder weapon. In a highly politicised and contentious trial, the warden Milton Glenn and some of his staff are ultimately convicted of crimes against humanity, and Henri is acquitted, but later commits suicide because his term is not yet complete and he refuses to return to Alcatraz despite not being given any apparent choice. The film was a box office hit and Bacon's poignant performance as the tormented prisoner was widely lauded, though some have criticised it for mincing facts with the real event.

[edit] Truth vs. Fiction

Joelene Babyak is a historian and author who has written several books on Alcatraz. Her father had been a guard there and she literally grew up on the island. Ms. Babyak points out that first of all, inmates were never sent directly to Alcatraz. They were always transferred from other prisons because of a history of escape attempts or violent behavior. She points out that the petty crime Bacon's character committed would not have sent him to "The Rock". Ms. Babyak points out the real Henry Young was a dangerous sociopath and career criminal who had an extensive record of violent crimes before he even came to Alcatraz. She also points out that his stint in solitary after his escape attempt was nothing like the movie portrayed. She charged that his lawyer merely had a clever sense of the dramatic and only used the "Alcatraz defense" to sway the jury to pity his client.

One might, however, question Ms. Babyak's complete neutrality, as well as that of the Alcatraz Alumni Association, a group that is proud of their heritage in connection with the prison island, and which served as a source for Ms. Babyak's book. While there is no doubt that "Murder in the First" took great liberties with the truth, there is no sense in pretending Alcatraz was a holiday resort, either, or that the young child of a guard would be privy to prison policy. Alcatraz was designed and publicized as the end of the line for hardened criminals, and solitary confinement for a period of 22 months - the period Mr. Young actually served - would certainly have a profound impact on one's mental state, regardless of the actual conditions.

For further information on the conditions of solitary in Alcatraz, one might refer to http://crimemagazine.com/alcatraz.htm.According to this information, the dungeon levels did indeed exist, and conditions were far from genial.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Taglines

  • They locked him up. They crushed his spirit. But they couldn't hide the truth.
  • One was condemned. The other was determined. Two men whose friendship gave them the will to take on the system.
  • The trial that brought down Alcatraz
  • "I accuse Alcatraz of crimes against humanity." - The lawyer
    "I was a weapon, but I ain't no killer." - The accused
    "I am not on trial here." - The warden
  • One broke his silence. The other broke the system.

[edit] External link

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