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Murder in the First

Play trailer Poster for Murder in the First R 1995 2h 2m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Henry, a small-time criminal sent to Alcatraz, is caught attempting to escape and as punishment, he's put in solitary confinement. Instead of staying the maximum nineteen days, he is kept alone, in the cold and complete darkness for years, only to emerge a madman and a murderer. It's a rookie lawyer who proves Alcatraz is to blame, and that Henry should not be executed.
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Murder in the First

Murder in the First

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Critics Consensus

Despite a strong cast and story inspired by incredible real-life events, Murder in the First is strictly second rate.

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Critics Reviews

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Anthony Lane The New Yorker 11/07/2022
Playing the hero of an issues movie (and this one is dripping with issues) is usually a thankless task, but Slater carries this one with ease. Go to Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail 04/12/2002
The figures are right, the investment looks good, but the emotional pay-off is minimal. Go to Full Review Peter Travers Rolling Stone 05/12/2001
More than likely you will forgive the compromises -- the story of Henri Young needed to be told. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Dec 26
3/4
...a somewhat erratic yet mostly compelling endeavor... Go to Full Review Sheila Reid Women in the Life 05/16/2022
It’s depressing, it’s dark and dingy and so far it’s the strongest set of performances on the big screen this year. Go to Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot 03/02/2022
3/4
See this only for Bacon's compelling performance. Factual or not, he creates a moving portrait of a young man who never had a chance. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s @Thiagostone Nov 29 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Maddox G. @maddoxblade Aug 20 Best Kevin Bacon performance ever! See more Daniel N @RT24087858 Aug 7 Boring, slow, uneventful and lacking any sort of power or emotion. You can see what they were trying to do but the movie was poorly written and lacked any heart. Basically a PG version of Kevin Bacons much better prison movie "Sleepers" See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 2 Success in 2 hours and 2 minutes. See more Alex H @Alexoldgit 11/05/2024 This film is one of my all time favourites. I just don't understand the low scores. There is everything here, including action, tenderness, violence, a moving score, friendship, hatred, high emotion, shocking cruelty and on and on. As courtroom dramas go, this is among the best of the genre and is woefully underrated and unknown. See more John K @RT94718593 07/23/2023 Great movie and great acting , can't understand how anyone can say it's a bad movie See more Read all reviews
Murder in the First

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Cast & Crew

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Marc Rocco

Director

Christian Slater

James Stamphill

Kevin Bacon

Henri Young

Gary Oldman

Milton Glenn

Embeth Davidtz

Mary McCasslin

William H. Macy

District Attorney William McNeil

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Murder in the First

Murder in the First (1995) Murder in the First (1995) Murder in the First (1995) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Henry, a small-time criminal sent to Alcatraz, is caught attempting to escape and as punishment, he's put in solitary confinement. Instead of staying the maximum nineteen days, he is kept alone, in the cold and complete darkness for years, only to emerge a madman and a murderer. It's a rookie lawyer who proves Alcatraz is to blame, and that Henry should not be executed.
Director
Marc Rocco
Producer
Marc Frydman, Mark Wolper
Screenwriter
Dan Gordon
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Bros., Canal+
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 20, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$16.1M
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo