DVD
REVIEW: FELON
08/06/08
The direct to DVD market is
filled with broken dreams. Here lie the movies that aren’t
good enough to make it to theaters. If I learnt anything in
all my years reviewing movie, it is not to expect too much
from the direct to DVD market. However every once in a while
a movie comes along that surprises. So, it was a welcomed
delight that I found “Felon” to be a horrifying glimpses
into one man’s tormented dilemma
Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is a family man who runs his own
contracting business. Wade is happy and is making plans to
marry the mother of his son. One night a burglar breaks into
his house and Wade hits him in the head with a bat as the
burglar is running away. Wade is charged with murder and his
lawyer advises him to take a plea bargain. Wade takes the
deals, and is sentenced to three years. In prison Wade must
deal with a corrupt correction officer Lt. Jackson (Harold
Perrineau) and his cell partner John Smith (Val Kilmer).
Its been a while since I’ve seen Val Kilmer in top form, and
in “Felon” he does a superb job. In the last movie I saw him
in, “Conspiracy“, he was awful. He pretty much phoned in
that performance. However with his performances in “Felon”
and judging from the movies he has coming in the future, it
looks like he might be in for a big come back.
I’ll been a fan of prison shows and movies every since the
days of HBO’s Oz and I found the portrayal of prison in
“Felon” to be horrifyingly good. We all know that prison
should be a place people go to pay for their crimes and to
get rehabilitated to hopefully fit back into society.
However, it seems that prison don’t do this. People in
prison end up getting into more and more trouble. It’s like
that old saying, in prison you learn to be a criminal. In
Wade’s case, he just wants to get in and get out and get on
with his life, but because of the way that prison is
structured this is not an easy task. The director which is
also the writer, Ric Roman Waugh, did a great job showing us
this melancholy aspect of prison life.
I which I could give this movie four stars, but the rush
beginning and the improbable ending tend to give the movie a
made for TV type feel. If they would have crafted a better
beginning and ending, Ric Waugh may had gotten his
theatrical release. Maybe next time.
Review By Milton Brayson
milton@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English
5.1 Dolby Digital
French Dolby Surround
Subtitles - English Spanish - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Shark Tank An Inside Look at
Felon - Director/Writer Ric Roman Waugh discuses how
he wanted to make a movie that showed how scary prison is.
(13:01)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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