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Felon
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 10 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 26 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Ric Roman Waugh
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Release Date:
Theatrical: July 18, 2008
DVD: August 12, 2008
Running Time: minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for brutal violence, pervasive language and brief nudity
Starring Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer, Sam Shephard, Harold Perrineau, and Marisol Nichols
A loving family man with a promising future, Wade Porter suddenly loses everything when he accidentally kills the burglar who broke into his home. Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Wade is sentenced to spend the next three years inside a maximum security facility where the rules of society no longer apply. Forced to share a cell with a notorious mass murderer and subjected to brutal beatings orchestrated by the sadistic head prison guard, Wade soon realizes he’s in for the fight of his life and must become the toughest Felon of them all if he’s to survive the block. For what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. And in state prison, only the strongest will survive. (Sony Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
Felon's dialogue is overheated and some of its plot twists are preposterous, yet it's still white-knuckle tense, and held together by dozens of small, well-observed moments.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
Mr. Dorff’s hot-wired portrayal of a prisoner under physical and psychic siege gives Felon its emotional through line as Wade’s attitude metamorphoses from stunned disbelief, to terror, to despair, to fury and finally to hope.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Farber
The most startling performance comes from Val Kilmer as Wade's hardened cellmate, a man who combines bitterness with wisdom.
Read Full Review >Variety Ronnie Scheib
Stephen Dorff's powerhouse perf as an ordinary Joe trapped behind bars with warring ethnic psychopaths propels Felon well ahead of its expose/exploitation brethren while still avoiding the pious learning curves of Frank Darabont's prestige prison dramas.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Kilmer and Dorff, who was also an executive producer, immerse themselves in difficult roles.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Ed Gonzalez
Harold Perrineau gives unintentionally comic expression in Felon to the delineation between his character's public and private scruples.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
A good cast and disciplined direction add some distinction to Ric Roman Waugh's Felon, which is basically the old tale about an innocent man corrupted by a stay in prison.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen
Felon is not a total bust. What does work is because of the strength of the actors. Dorff brings a visceral sense of desperation to his performance, though he does tend to go too big too quickly. Kilmer gives the film its center as an alien, still presence amid the chaos around him.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Val Kilmer, as a polite horn-rimmed sociopath with a heart of gold, keeps showing up to drop Nietzschean pensées.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
There are times when a Kilmer performance is like watching a clock move: well-timed and oddly compelling, even though it's totally predictable. That's the case with Felon, which doesn't belong to Kilmer but which he steals anyhow.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 26 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Fred G gave it an8:
Very entertaining. Val Kilmer played his role to perfection.
Louis P. gave it a9:
this is an excitent movie, its something that we can all relate too,not going to prison,but the fact of anger and pain, all caused by love, this movie really made me think,how a normal person can be at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and the whole perspective on things can change,family really is forever
Brook P. gave it a10:
As usual the critics have missed the opportunity to do their job and report favourably on what is an amazing movie and one of the best I have seen in a long time. Felon is fantastic from beginning to end and does more than justice to the doco film style they use. You are transported to a nightmare that feels so real and emotive you may as well be in a prison for 2 hours. Great characters, great story, great directing. I would highly recomend this movie to anyone who loves quality film making. Brilliant!
K G gave it a9:
Very underrated movie. Val Kilmer's performance was astounding. Great plot which wraps up in the end perfectly.
Mike V. gave it a10:
This movie portrays the brutal realities of prison life, alongside the truth that not ALL cons are animals in an amazingly compacted time frame of movie length. Maybe the critics who gave it less than stellar reviews should be forced to spend 90 days in the nearest max prison to see the beauty of it!
Justin A. gave it a10:
Absolutely the best prison drama ever made. The acting was outstanding. This was a movie that makes you realize how crooked some prisons are. I am going to buy this movie now. Although the critics may make this seem like just an average movie, almost any action/drama fan can enjoy Felon.
Kaitlyn H. gave it a10:
I *loved* this movie sooooo much! i thought it was very well directed with amazing actors with such a gripping plot line, this movie made me happy and it made me cry. it made me think twice about how quickly life can change. it was simply amazing and it is now my new favorite movie!
