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Felon

Felon (2008)

July. 17,2008
|
7.4
|
R
| Drama Thriller Crime

A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.

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Reviews

SpuffyWeb
2008/07/17

Sadly Over-hyped

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Steineded
2008/07/18

How sad is this?

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Moustroll
2008/07/19

Good movie but grossly overrated

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Acensbart
2008/07/20

Excellent but underrated film

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WubsTheFadger
2008/07/21

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.

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aguynameddrew
2008/07/22

UGH, just a typical "good guy ends up in jail, taken advantage of by the system, survives by fighting" prison movie. The cinematography has all the quality of a teenager with an iPhone. I don't understand what the bad guys are doing exactly, and i don't really ever grow any real attachment to the protagonist. I couldn't wait for this movie to end so i could move on with my life. I gave it a 3 just because there is a decent amount of violence.

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cheesustoast
2008/07/23

The hate and violence in this film is graphically portrayed in an unforgiving fashion. This led me to believe that there was maybe going to be nothing in the way of a story and that it would leave me feeling empty. That was not the case. This is a powerful film but it could be construed as immoral by some people. Some people live a life of violence by choice. It is maybe in their nature or it is just something that they have learned. Some people, on the other hand, get pulled into it and have nothing to do except fight back or be destroyed. This is what is being portrayed.I saw one comment from another reviewer suggesting that the message contained in the film is bad. I have seen another comment suggesting that it is not very realistic. I disagree. It is fiction but what is going on within the film is believable. The message that is sent out within the film is that life is not always fair... and all there is left for you to do is to keep fighting until the end or lay down and die. It is also showing that some people choose a life of violence and others are thrust into it whether they like it or not.This is a very powerful, very violent, but very moving film. Sanctimonious people who see the world through rose colored spectacles will probably not like it.

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ashish sood
2008/07/24

A powerful movie that will get you have you emotionally involved, drained and white knuckled. A young small business man, Wade Porter(Stephen Dorff), kills an intruder while trying to protect his family. The system is fouled and fails Wade, who is convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years inside a maximum security prison. Porter will share a cell with a notorious mass murderer, John Smith(Val Kilmer). Porter will need to make use of any wisdom he can garner from Smith in order to survive. He must deal with vicious prisoners and a sadistic and corrupt head prison guard Lt. Jackson(Harold Perrineau). It will prove that the fit of the fittest is who will survive. Survival is the key in the cases of many of the characters, including some of the 'good guards' (Nate Parker, Greg Serano), the steadfast Laura, her mother (a small but well defined role for Annie Archer), and for former guard Gordon (Sam Shepard) a friend of John Smith. Dorff and Kilmer provide very strong characterizations as does Perrineau, but without the fairly large cast of 'fellow prisoners' who set the scenes, their overall performances would be less impressive. It is here that director Ric Roman Waugh demonstrates his talent for handling the mixture of physical brutality with the fragility of each individual's mind that makes the film work..MY RATING: 8/10

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