Murder in the First

"The trial that brought down Alcatraz."

1995 2h 2m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 637

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.

“The trial that brought down Alcatraz.”

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Cast

Christian Slater
James Stamphill
Kevin Bacon
Henri Young
Gary Oldman
Associate Milton Glenn
Embeth Davidtz
Mary McCasslin
William H. Macy
Bill McNeill
Stephen Tobolowsky
Mr. Henkin
Brad Dourif
Byron Stamphill
Kyra Sedgwick
Blanche

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marc Rocco
Writers: Dan Gordon
Languages: English
Countries: France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marc Rocco, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Russell Livingstone shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The trial that brought down Alcatraz.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0113870 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marc Rocco directs. Fred Murphy behind the camera. Christopher Young scores. Russell Livingstone cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in France, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

131 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.
3Directed by Marc Rocco, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Russell Livingstone shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The trial that brought down Alcatraz.".
8IMDB entry: tt0113870 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "prison", "prisoner", "death row", "alcatraz prison".

The technical file

Cinematography: Fred Murphy
Original score: Christopher Young
Editing: Russell Livingstone
Production design: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Costume design: Sylvia Vega-Vasquez
Stunt coordinator: Doug Coleman
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $29,500,000
Return: 148% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Murder in the First (1995)

Awards

Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Marc Rocco

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-08-30
★ 6/10
Life on Alcatraz in the 30s and early 40s A young lawyer (Christian Slater) defends an inmate of Alcatraz (Kevin Bacon) accused of murder in 1941, but argues that the cruel treatment in the notorious prison is what drove him to it. Gary Oldman plays the heartless Warden (technically associate Warden) while R. Lee Ermey is on hand as the judge. "Murder in the First" (1995) is a prison/courtroom drama that says its “inspired by true events,” which means it’s NOT a biography of the real Henri Young, but rather uses Young’s basic story as a microcosm for unveiling several of Alcatraz’ dubious and inhumane doings during the 30s. Look up the real history after viewing the movie, yet not just Young’s story and the trial, but also the ‘Dungeon’ and how prisoners were treated in solitary confinement during the early years of that infamous ‘Rock.’ The movie successfully brings the viewer back to the 30s and early 40s, but the filmmakers laid it on too thick in regards to how ee-vil the prison authorities are, not to mention how supposedly innocent Young is (he wasn't), which smacks of agenda. But, like I said, Young represented several issues/cases at Alcatraz, so it can be overlooked. Nevertheless, this is cut from the same cloth as “The Shawshank Redemption,” the surprise hit from a year earlier (not that it was a hit at first, but it eventually became one). I’m not saying “Murder in the First” is as good but, if you liked “Shawshank,” you’ll probably appreciate it. Embeth Davidtz, Kyra Sedgwick and Mia Kirshner show up on the feminine front. Davidtz really shines in the biggest role of the three. The film runs 2 hours, 2 minutes, and was shot in San Francisco & Alcatraz Island with the courtroom scenes done at Triscenic Production Services Inc. in Los Angeles area. GRADE: B-

Production companies