Murder in the First

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Murder in the First

Murder in the First theatrical poster
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
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Murder in the First is a 1995 film, directed by Marc Rocco, about a petty criminal named Henry Young (played by Kevin Bacon) who is put on trial for murder in the first degree.

Contents

[edit] Plot

As a 17-year old orphan, Henry Young stole $5.00 from a grocery store/U.S. Post Office to feed himself and his little sister, both of whom are destitute. He is apprehended by the store clerk, and his sister is sent to an orphanage. Henry never sees her again and is sentenced to Leavenworth prison. Young is later transferred to Alcatraz where he participates in a scheme to escape. The plot fails due to the betrayal of a fellow inmate, Rufus McCain, and Young is sent to solitary confinement, where he is left for three years (except 30 minutes at Christmas). During this extraordinary period in solitary confinement (typical confinement lasts no more than 19 days), Young slowly begins to lose his mind. Upon being released from solitary confinement, Henry experiences a psychotic episode in the cafeteria and attacks McCain, who is still in general population, stabbing him to death with a spoon in full view of the prison staff and convict population.

Henry is put on trial for the murder in the first degree, in what is assumed to be an open-and-shut case by both the prosecution and the public defender's office. James Stamphill, a recent law school graduate, is given the case. After discovering the facts behind Henry's case, the young lawyer attempts to put Alcatraz on trial, alleging that the conditions in Alcatraz caused Henry to commit the murder. In a highly politicized and contentious trial, Henry is convicted only of the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter, but later dies after returning to Alcatraz to serve his sentence. After the events of the film, Milton Glenn, the associate warden in charge of day to day activities of Alcatraz, is convicted of mistreatment and is banned from working in the penal system.

[edit] Trivia

  • Bacon, Slater and Oldman spent some of their free time locked in jail cells while the movie was being filmed. The producers wanted them to know how it felt to be imprisoned.
  • Bacon lost twenty pounds for his role as Henry Young.
  • The filming of one of the courtroom scenes was interrupted by the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
  • The movie ends with Henry Young being returned to the dungeons of Alcatraz in the early 1940s - in fact those areas were already closed by then, and the real Henry Young remained in assorted prisons for assorted crimes (including a murder committed prior to his time on the Rock) until 1972.

[edit] Cast

DVD cover for the film
DVD cover for the film

[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 links

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