Felon (2008)

Felon is a 2008 drama/prison film based on events that took place in the 1990s at the notorious California State Prison, Corcoran. It stars Val Kilmer alongside Stephen Dorff.

Plot : Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is a decent, family loving man on the verge of opening his own business & getting married. One night he awakens to an intruder & chases the intruder out of his house with a baseball bat. Assuming the intruder was reaching for a gun from his pocket, Wade swings the bat aiming for his shoulder but as the intruder ducks it hits him on his head, killing him. Claiming that the intruder was of no longer threat to him outside the vicinity of his home, he has to be tried for murder. The courts, while sympathetic to Wade's case, are nevertheless compelled by the evidence to reject his plea of self-defence and convict him of manslaughter. He is sentenced to 3 years incarceration & steps into a world he never knew existed. There are no more society or court laws, only cop laws & gang laws. He then meets a lifer ( an infamous multiple murderer) John Smith (Val Kilmer) who becomes his cell mate. As he struggles to survive inside, Wade discovers two things—the humanity of his cellmate and the growing sadistic nature of the prison wardens.



WOW!!!!!!!! The trailer does not do justice for this film. Even reading the plot made me assume its another American History X rip off ( With the whole killing an intruder running out of your house bit). But I must repeat WOW!!!! Fucking beautiful movie! This film puts American History X to shame & will want to make you want back your 119 mins, if not for Edward Norton starring in it. Anyway i gave this movie a chance because Val Kilmer did Jim Morrison proud in the movie The Doors (1991). Plus like many i myself am an ex felon who is a sucker for prison flicks. And boy am i glad i watched it. They captured the basic rules of prison life to perfection. Families tend not to understand that there is no more court law or logical thinking in there. Its surviving in a whole different world & sometimes you've just got to do what you've got to do to survive. Corrupt wardens, Good wardens, Prison gangs fights, snitches etc etc. Everytime Val Kilmer speaks, he kept my ears close to the speakers. Just as Oscar wilde has told us not to hide our past ( as criminals or watever) but to embrace it & grow from it. John Smith (Val Kilmer) says its beautifully at the end of the film.

Memorable Quote :

John Smith: Usually I'm quoting someone else's words. The least I can do is give you some John Smith originals. They won't be poetic. But they'll be the truth. Yes, prison desensitizes you. But it also forces you to see what's most important. Family. And loyalty. Because a con like you knows neither exists in this place. So don't run from who you've become, felon. Embrace it. Grow from it. And you'll never lose sight of what truly matters. That's my final piece of advice, Wade Porter. You protect your family at all costs. Even if you're forced to kill again. Because if i had to, I’d wipe out the whole planet to get mine back. So long, friend.

He just grows better as an actor as he ages. Stephen Dorff did a good job portraying his role as well. Both of them did a great job carrying their roles with the right amount of emotions to move you inside & keep you fix onto your seats. I Loved it & i definetly recommend this movie to everybody!!! Watch it asap!!!

Director :
Ric Roman Waugh

Actors :
John Smith - Val Kilmer
Wade Porter - Stephen Dorff
Marisol Nichols - Laura Porter
Lt.Jackson - Harold Perrineau



RATE : 8.5\10