Christopher Shobris I am baffled at the misinterpretations of the critics when it comes to this film. I watched this film without any opinions from critics, therefore I went in with a clear, fresh mind who is seeing this for the first time. Needless to say, I was blown away by this film. I don't know what the critic's problems are, but its completely overlooked. The one thing that stands out in this is Kevin Bacon. A performance sadly unrecognized by the Oscars, as I firmly believe this is Oscar-worthy. I've never seen Bacon play a role as complex as this one, and he plays it the best way anyone could have done. Christian Slater in one of the few standout performances in his mild career, sorry to say. The comradery between Slater and Bacon was like magic. They worked wonderfully off of each other. Gary Oldman is as good as always. The story is compelling enough to keep the interest afloat. All in all this could have been a lot worse, I'd even call it a good film. Its not groundbreaking like Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile, but it holds its own as a surprising film for any film enthusiast to enjoy. Now to grade. Story: B+ Characters: A- Acting: A Music: B+ Sets/Effects: A- Overall: A-

beastmaster337 This is a great movie that, for some reason, no one has seen. I recently bought it because I am a big fan of Kevin Bacon, and I was completely amazed by his performance. The fact that he wasn't even nominated for an academy award shows you what a joke they are. All the actors are great, especially Bacon and Gary Oldman. The story is pretty good, and the movie is never boring, but the highlight of the film is Bacon's haunting portrayal of a man forced into solitary for three years. He manages to be both creepy and touching, which is amazing. There is some violence in the movie, so if you are not a fan of that, you might not want to watch. Other than that, however, I give a strong recommendation to fans of prison and courtroom movies, as this film contains some compelling elements of both. Overall - 8/10

gradyharp It is often interesting how when old movies show up On Demand years after their first release there is a waterfall of response from viewers - almost like the film has been resurrected and given a second life. Such is the case for this 1995 film MURDER IN THE FIRST - there seems to be a more honest evaluation of the film as a film than when it was first released and the public took exception to the 'veracity' of the allegedly true story.According to the reported facts, 'Henri Theodore Young (born 1918) was a prisoner at Alcatraz who attempted to escape with four other inmates, Arthur Barker, Dale Stamphill, William Martin, and Rufus McCain. Young became a bank robber and was known for aggressively taking hostages. In 1933, he committed murder. After spending time in prisons in Washington state and Montana, he was sent to the federal prison on Alcatraz Island. On the night of January 13, 1939, Young, with prisoners Rufus McCain, Arthur Barker, Dale Stamphill, and William Martin, attempted to escape. Martin, Young, and McCain surrendered, while Barker and Stamphill refused to surrender and were subsequently shot. Barker eventually died from his injuries. Allegedly, Young and McCain were sentenced to long terms each in solitary confinement, but they were back in the prison's general population within months. A year later, Young killed Rufus McCain by plunging a spoon into his neck; he never revealed his motive.' Those are the 'facts' upon which this film was based, but in the film the sequence is different. The film plot follows:Henri Young (Kevin Bacon) stole five dollars from a post office and ended up going to prison - to the most famous, or infamous, prison of them all: Alcatraz. He tried to escape, failed, and spent three years and two months in solitary confinement - in a dungeon, with no light, no heat and no toilet. Milton Glenn (Gary Oldman), the assistant warden, who was given free reign by his duty-shirking superior, was responsible for Young's treatment. Glenn even took a straight razor and hobbled Young for life. After three years and two months, Young was taken out of solitary confinement and put with the rest of the prisoners. Almost immediately, Young took a spoon and stabbed a fellow prisoner in the neck, killing him. Now, Young is on trial for murder, and if he's convicted he'll go to the gas chamber. An eager and idealistic young attorney, James Stamphill (Christian Slater), is given this impossible case, and argues before a shocked courtroom that Young had a co-conspirator. The true murderer, he says, was Alcatraz.Mark Rocco directed from the screenplay written by Dan Gordon and the film was photographed by Fred Murphy, the tense musical scoring is by Christopher Young. The story is tight and made credible by the extraordinarily fine performances of Kevin Bacon, Christian Slater, Gary Oldman and a supporting cast that includes Embeth Davidtz, Kyra Sedgwick, Mia Kirshner, William H. Macy, R. Lee Ermey, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Brad Dourif. This is more a character study than reportage of an historical incident and as such the movie succeeds on every level. Grady Harp

wes-connors Depression-era orphan Kevin Bacon (as Henri Young) is sent to the notoriously brutal island prison Alcatraz, after stealing five dollars to feed his little sister. Caught trying to escape, Mr. Bacon is severely beaten, then sent to the bowels of the penitentiary, where he is left in an isolated cell for three years. Bacon is let out for 30 minutes of exercise every Christmas. His only companion in "The Hole" is a spider. Released to the general prison population in 1941, Bacon is a psychologically damaged "basket case." Hearing the name of the inmate who sent him to "The Hole" leads Bacon to kill the informant with a spoon. Then, Bacon is back on trial, for murder. Bacon's attorney is an idealistic 24-year-old Christian Slater (as James "Jim" Stamphill). At first, Mr. Slater finds it hard to communicate with his client, as Bacon is near catatonic. But, his desire for human companionship leads Bacon to reveal his rather innocent life story. Lawyer Slater learns of the abuse Bacon suffered at Alcatraz, and accuses the institution of murder.Inspired by a true story, "Murder in the First" features a crucifying performance by Bacon, with good balance from Slater, and fine support from prosecuting attorney William H. Macy (as William McNeil) and abusive warden Gary Oldman (as Milton Glenn). Bacon's "real-life" wife Kyra Sedgwick is a ho-hum hooker, but Stefan Gierasch's head warden is terrific. Marc Rocco directs Fred Murphy's cameras in an aimless, dizzying fashion - seeming to search for a point-of-view that is already painfully obvious.****** Murder in the First (1/20/95) Marc Rocco ~ Kevin Bacon, Christian Slater, William H. Macy, Gary Oldman