Felon (film)
Encyclopedia
Felon is a 2008 American drama film about a family man who ends up in state prison after he kills an intruder. The film was written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and stars Stephen Dorff
, Val Kilmer
and Harold Perrineau. The story is based on events that took place in the 1990s at the notorious California State Prison, Corcoran
.
) is living the American Dream with his girlfriend Laura (Marisol Nichols
) and their son Michael: they have a nice house, he has just raised a loan to make his company grow and they are going to get married. However their dream becomes a nightmare when Wade unintentionally kills a burglar that had broken into their house in the middle of the night on his lawn. He is put on trial and accepts a deal proposed by the prosecutor, being sentenced to three years in prison. During the transportation, there is an incident in the bus and Wade is framed and sent to the Security Housing Unit in Pelican Bay State Prison
under the command of the corrupt Lieutenant Jackson (Harold Perrineau). His cell-mate John Smith (Val Kilmer
) who was serving a life sentence after avenging the death of his family befriends Wade and gives helpful advice and hope to him.
reported that 62% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 21 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 58 out of 100, based on 10 reviews — indicating good or above average reviews. The film had a limited screening in the US.
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
, Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
and Harold Perrineau. The story is based on events that took place in the 1990s at the notorious California State Prison, Corcoran
California State Prison, Corcoran
California State Prison, Corcoran is a male-only state prison located in the city of Corcoran, in Kings County, California. Also known as Corcoran State Prison, CSP-C, CSP-COR, CSP-Corcoran, and Corcoran I, it should not be confused with the newer California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and...
.
Synopsis
The family man Wade Porter (Stephen DorffStephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
) is living the American Dream with his girlfriend Laura (Marisol Nichols
Marisol Nichols
Marisol Nichols is an American actress best known for her role in the sixth season of 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir.-Early life:...
) and their son Michael: they have a nice house, he has just raised a loan to make his company grow and they are going to get married. However their dream becomes a nightmare when Wade unintentionally kills a burglar that had broken into their house in the middle of the night on his lawn. He is put on trial and accepts a deal proposed by the prosecutor, being sentenced to three years in prison. During the transportation, there is an incident in the bus and Wade is framed and sent to the Security Housing Unit in Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison is a supermax California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison near Crescent City in unincorporated Del Norte County, California. The facility is explicitly designed to keep California’s alleged “worst of the worst” prisoners in long-term solitary...
under the command of the corrupt Lieutenant Jackson (Harold Perrineau). His cell-mate John Smith (Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
) who was serving a life sentence after avenging the death of his family befriends Wade and gives helpful advice and hope to him.
Cast
- Stephen DorffStephen DorffStephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
as Wade Porter - Marisol NicholsMarisol NicholsMarisol Nichols is an American actress best known for her role in the sixth season of 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir.-Early life:...
as Laura Porter - Vincent Miller as Michael Porter
- Val KilmerVal KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
as John Smith - Harold Perrineau as Lt. Jackson
- Greg SeranoGreg SeranoGreg Serano is an American actor. He was most known for his role of Pablo Betart on Wildfire.-Filmography:*Undocumented *Felon .... Officer Diaz*Beer For My Horses .... Tito Garza...
as Officer Diaz - Nate ParkerNate ParkerNate Parker is an American actor and musical performer who has appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, The Great Debaters, and Pride. In his recent roles, he has performed alongside Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and Terrence Howard. Parker has overcome turbulence and turmoil in his life both as...
as Officer Collins - Nick ChinlundNick ChinlundZareh Nicholas "Nick" Chinlund is an American actor.-Early life:Chinlund was born in New York City. He attended the Friends Seminary in Lower Manhattan, later moving to Albany, NY in order to participate in Albany High School's varsity basketball program...
as Sgt. Roberts - Anne ArcherAnne ArcherAnne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
as Maggie - Sam ShepardSam ShepardSam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
as Gordon - Chris Browning as Danny Sampson
- Jake Walker as Warden Harris
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of January 26, 2009, the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 62% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 21 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 58 out of 100, based on 10 reviews — indicating good or above average reviews. The film had a limited screening in the US.