Henri Young 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, 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, is given this impossible case, and argues before a shocked courtroom that Young had a co-conspirator. The true murderer, he says, was Alcatraz.

Murder in the First (1995)
  • Rating: (13,132 votes)
  • Taglines:They locked him up. They crushed his spirit. But they couldn't hide the truth. » One was condemned. The other was determined. Two men whose friendship gave them the will to take on the system. »
  • Runtime:122 minutes
  • Director: Marc Rocco
  • Countries:USA, France
  • Actors:
    James Stamphill
    Christian Slater
    Henri Young
    Kevin Bacon
    Milton Glenn
    Gary Oldman
    Mary McCasslin
    Embeth Davidtz
    D.A. William McNeil
    William H. Macy
    Mr. Henkin
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    Byron Stamphill
    Brad Dourif
    Judge Clawson
    R. Lee Ermey
    Adult Rosetta Young
    Mia Kirshner
    Jerry Hoolihan
    Ben Slack
  • Genres:Drama, Thriller
  • Producers:
    Marc Frydman
    producer  
    Deborah Lee
    co-producer  
    Philip McKeon
    associate producer  
    Marc Rocco
    executive producer  
    David L. Wolper
    executive producer  
    Mark Wolper
    producer  
  • Plots: Henri Young 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, 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, is given this impossible case, and argues before a shocked courtroom that Young had a co-conspirator. The true murderer, he says, was Alcatraz. Written by J. Spurlin
Murder in the First
  • User's comment:Great Performances!! by nama chakravorty

    Though A Largely Fictitious Film, about petty criminal Henri Young, 'Murder in the First', yet comes across as a convincing cinematic experience. Though depressing and hard to stomach, the honesty it's been made and it's hallmark performances, manage to hold your interest.

    'Murder in the First' is a about a petty criminal named Henri Young, played by Kevin Bacon, who is put on trial for murder in the first degree. But, a righteous recent law school graduate, played by Christian Slater, takes up the challenge to take up Young's case, and later blames the prison's executives, for the brutal murder committed by Young.

    'Murder in the First', like mentioned before, is a largely fictitious take on Henri Young's life. But, cinematically, Henri Young comes across as a frightened victim, who was physically & mentally abused by the Prison's executives. You, in fact, support him here and you sympathize with him all through, and you literally begin to hate the prison's executives. The depiction of Young being in a solitary confinement, and knowing his suffering, shakes you and leaves you numb.

    'Murder in the First' is an honest film. Dan Gordon's Writing is hard-hitting & on your-face. The Writer hasn't shy-ed away by not showing what your suppose to watch as a viewer. Marc Rocco's Direction is up-to the mark. He handles the dark, as well as the court-room sequences, with accurate understanding. But, I would like to point out, that, the film is longer than it should have been. It needed to be trimmed, at least, by 15-20 minutes.

    Performance-Wise: All the actors are Great. Kevin Bacon is nearly exemplary as the frightened victim, Henri Young. His body language, his expressions , as well as his dialogue delivery, are pitch-perfect. Bacon once again proves his range as an actor! Christian Slater scores big time as the righteous lawyer. Gary Oldman is Fantastic! He's so good as the menace, I actually began to hate him. Oldman, genuinely, delivers one of his finest performances here. William H. Macy is perfect, like always. Others lend the required support.

    On the whole, 'Murder in the First' is not the faint-hearted, as it's too intense & depressing at times. But, it's definitely worth a watch for those, who like watching films, that are written & executed without inhibitions. From this writer, Thumbs Up!


  • Quotes: James Stamphill: Did you kill Rufus McCain? Henri Young: I was the weapon, but I ain't no killer. James Stamphill: How do you think the Yankees will do against the Redskins this year?
  • Also known as: Överlagt mord (Sweden - imdb display title), Alcatraz - kohtaloni (Finland), Asesinato en primer grado (Argentina), Assassinato em Primeiro Grau (Brazil), Az őrület fészke (Hungary), Fonos se proto vathmo (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Homicidio en primer grado (Spain), L'isola dell'ingiustizia - Alcatraz (Italy), Lebenslang in Alcatraz (Germany), Meurtre à Alcatraz (France), Meurtre avec préméditation (Canada - French title), Morderstwo pierwszego stopnia (Poland), O Condenado de Alcatraz (Portugal), Overlagt mord (Denmark),

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