FELON: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
Based on the true story of a family man whose life takes a dramatic twist, while protecting his wife (Marisol Nichols) and child (Vincent Miller) from an intruder. Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is sentenced to three years in California's Corcoran maximum-security prison and undergoes a hellish physical and emotional journey in a place that has none of the normal rules of society.

Review by :
There were four set medics on location for this film, and we can see why. The fights are frenetic and not choreographed. Many of the actors in these scenes are ex-convicts, and the fights are a pretty accurate representation of the mixed martial arts and street fighting common in prison. It starts out like any other prison is hell movie, solidly crafted and engaging. Where it gets interesting is when dangerous career criminal John Smith (Val Kilmer) is celled with the naïve and innocent Wade (Stephen Dorff), whose incarceration is the result of self defence.

Val Kilmer's extraordinary transformation into John Smith is a highlight of the movie. Stephe Dorff is also outstanding in a demanding, emotionally draining role, as is Marisol Nichols as his wife. Sam Shepard makes an important contribution and Harold Perrineau is strikingly effective as the nasty son of a bitch prison warden, Lt Jackson. The supports are all excellent, and Ric Roman Waugh's direction keeps us glued to the screen.

The plot expands and gets more complex as the story progresses, and the dramatic tension ratchets up. Sound design and the edgy score add to the film's impact and the final sequence carries a decent emotional payload.

Published November 20, 2008