What I figured was going to be an extremely run of the mill ended up being a riveting prison drama, as a man protecting his family ends up convicted of involuntary manslaughter and finding himself sent to a corrupt prison where he must watch his back and fight his own corner f he wants to survive ... Read review
No Rules. No Hope. No Way Out. Val Kilmer Stephen Dorff Harold Perrineau Jr. and Sam ... more
Shepard star in this prison drama the story of a family man who is convicted of murder for killing an intruder who enters his home threatening the lives of his wife and son. As he struggles to survive the violent penal system which includes a maximum-security state prison in which a corrupt lieutenant tries to maintain power and order even if it means crossing the line.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Cast, aim of the film, not a second wasted Disadvantages: Nothing
What I figured was going to be an extremely run of the mill ended up being a riveting prison drama, as a man protecting his family ends up convicted of involuntary manslaughter and finding himself sent to a corrupt prison where he must watch his back and fight his own corner f he wants to survive and see his family again.
Stephen Dorff stars as Wade Porter, who chases a man from his home and strikes him with a baseball bat when he ... ...with a man who has killed violently, and becomes a source of entertainment for other inmates and the guards. He realises he has to man up around the yard if he is to survive his time inside and get out with enough of his life left to live.
Val Kilmer gives an excellent performance as John Smith, Wade's cellmate, a seemingly violent man with a lot more to him than just a mass murderer. Kilmer develops the character very well throughout ... more
What I figured was going to be an extremely run of the mill ended up being a riveting prison drama, as a man protecting his family ends up convicted of involuntary manslaughter and finding himself sent to a corrupt prison where he must watch his back and fight his own corner f he wants to survive and see his family again.
Stephen Dorff stars as Wade Porter, who chases a man from his home and strikes him with a baseball bat when he reaches for his pocket. He finds himself sharing a cell with a man who has killed violently, and becomes a source of entertainment for other inmates and the guards. He realises he has to man up around the yard if he is to survive his time inside and get out with enough of his life left to live.
Val Kilmer gives an excellent performance as John Smith, Wade's cellmate, a seemingly violent man with a lot more to him than just a mass murderer. Kilmer develops the character very well throughout the film. Harold Perrineau, recently seen in 'Lost' also excels as corrupt prison lieutenant Jackson. Indeed, the supporting cast all deserve a round of applause, as they give us a powerful portrayal of a corruption that is often unseen.
There is nothing really in real life to show that this sort of thing goes on unseen, or at least, nothing that is easy to prove, yet it is quite often that you see it on film. However, it is rarely shown in this format with an element of realism to it. You normally get the feeling that it is fiction, but this film somehow gives off a feeling or reality, and it kept me transfixed throughout.
There is nothing fancy about the film. It relies on brutality and emotion, and on the audience connecting with the characters on the right and wrong side of the law within it. In fact, it is quite easy to sympathise with most characters, with even the corrupt Jackson given a moment of pity when he experiences a bit of personal pain. Yet the majority of the film paints him as the villain, and Porter as the hero, so to speak, not forgetting the pain of those affected on the outside of the prison walls, families and friends of inmates as well as the guards within their private lives.
Overall, it is a riveting hour and a half, expertly acted, and a film I am genuinely surprised at. I expected it to be good, but not this good. There was not a moment of it that was wasted. There could easily have been a temptation to stretch this to nearly two hours, and waffle a little with some filler at points, but every second of screen time had a reason and a point to it, and it made it a top film, as opposed to just a brilliant one. The DVD is available for £4.98 from amazon.co.uk, and I highly recommend watching it if you get the chance.
Advantages: Shoreshank n.o. 2 Disadvantages: No soundtrack
Felon
Introduction
Felon, released in 2008 is an American prison drama film. It is directed by Ric Roman Waugh (his third film) and produced by Dan Keston, Nick Phillips and Christopher Wilhem. Cast Val Kilmer Stephen Dorff Harold Perrineau Sam Shepard Marisol Nichols Anne Archer
Nick Chinlund Nate Parker Greg Serano Brittany Perrineau Johnny Lewis Chris Browning Plot
This film follows the story of a young man (Dorff) who has a business on the ... ...raise $30,000 more revenue. We learn that he has built up his company from nothing and he and his wife had a troubled childhood but now life is on the up.
Later that night Wade discovers a man has broken into his house through his son's window, he disturbs the burglar and chases him out the house with a baseball bat. Outside the house whilst running away the burglar reaches into the back of his jeans, Wade takes aim at his shoulder the guy ducks ...
djtmj 06.08.2008
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Advantages: You cant wait for the next episode Disadvantages: the dvd has to end sometime :(
incarcerated, and the race against time is on. Now, he'll need all of the cunning, daring, and luck he can muster?along with the assistance of some of the prison's most vile and dangerous felons.
The dvd features you will find are....
Audio commentaries on selected episodes.
2 alternate scenes on the episode "Cute Poison"
"If These Walls Could Speak": Profile of the Joliet Correctional Center.
"Beyond the Ink: Tattoo Featurette
There are 6 discs with this Dvd, each disc consists of the following episodes.....
Disk 1:
Pilot
Allen
Cell Test
Cute Poison
Disk 2:
English, Fitz or Percy
Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 1)
Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 2)
The Old Head
Disk 3:
Tweener
Sleight of Hand
And Then There Were Seven
Odd Man Out
Disk 4:
End of the Tunnel
The Rat
By The Skin & The Teeth
Brother's Keeper ...
After the system fails Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff), a man who inadvertently killed an intruder in his home while justly protecting his wife and son, the family man faces three years in a maximum security prison where every rule he has ever lived by is thrown out the window. To make matters worse, Porter doesn't get along with his new cellmate (Val Kilmer), most likely because the guy is an epically notorious mass murderer. In order to make it out of his sentence alive, between vicious prisoners and the sadistic machinations of the corrupt Warden Lt. Jackson (Harold Perrineau, LOST), Porter is going to transform himself into the toughest, meanest cat in the joint.
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DVD Region
DVD
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SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
After the system fails Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff), a man who inadvertently killed an intruder in his home while justly protecting his wife and son, the family man faces three years in a maximum security prison where every rule he has ever lived by is thrown out the window. To make matters worse, Porter doesn't get along with his new cellmate (Val Kilmer), most likely because the guy is an epically notorious mass murderer. In order to make it out of his sentence alive, between vicious prisoners and the sadistic machinations of the corrupt Warden Lt. Jackson (Harold Perrineau, LOST), Porter is going to transform himself into the toughest, meanest cat in the joint. This gritty actioner comes from writer-director Ric Roman Waugh, a popular stuntman who has worked on such films as UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, ROAD HOUSE, TOTAL RECALL, and LETHAL WEAPON 2.