Murder in the First (1995) – Film Review

Director: Marc Rocco
Cast: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

As a reviewer, life is made a whole lot easier when you’re confronted by a film you either love or hate – strong emotions are much easier to get down on paper than a shrug of the shoulders.

The weird thing about Murder in the First is that it inspires all three responses – it has some amazing moments, some terrible ones and yet as a whole is a bit ‘meh’.

It should be a huge winner because the story is a doozy. It also proclaims to be based on fact, but a quick internet search reveals the truth – aspects of it are based on real events, but the depiction of Henri Young, the Alcatraz prisoner at its centre, is somewhat sanitised. The real Wood was a hardened bank robber who had killed at least one person before being captured. He also ended up jumping bail in the early 1970s and was never seen or heard of again.

“Disturbing”

However, in director Marc Rocco’s movie, Wood is a simple, orphaned country boy jailed for stealing the $5 he and his sister needed to survive, and was sent to the brutal prison in San Francisco Bay merely to make up the numbers.

The rest of the film deals with the aftermath of an escape attempt Wood and other inmates made; he was recaptured and, according to the storyline, subjected to years of abuse in solitary confinement by guards under the instruction of associate prison warden Milton Glenn, as well as the efforts of young lawyer James Stamphill to get him off a murder charge after he killed the man who alerted the authorities to the plot.

The scenes of Wood’s torture are brutal and disturbing, with Kevin Bacon delivering a moving performance both during those moments and in the courtroom as his character stands trial. However, in other segments, including those in which he’s depicted trying to lose his virginity to a prostitute (played by Bacon’s real-life wife Kyra Sedgwick), are a little over the top.

“Chilling”

Christian Slater also appears as Stamphill, but it sometimes feels as if he’s appearing in a different film – somehow he doesn’t quite fit the 1940s setting; he’s simply too modern. Gary Oldman is, however, suitably chilling as the heartless Glenn, who doesn’t appear to see the inmates as people at all.

Sadly, Rocco passed away suddenly in 2009 at the age of 46; Murder in the First was his final film as a director. Slater’s performance aside, he handles his duties well here, so it’s a shame he didn’t do more – his skills deserved a better finale.

The disc also includes various special features, including interviews with Rocco, Bacon and Slater from 1995 in which they’re questioned by probably the most prim and proper reporter ever to grace TV, and it’s rather lovely to see the fellas treat her so sweetly. What a shame the movie itself isn’t as fascinating.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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FAQs – Murder in the First (1995) 4K UHD & Blu-ray

What is the film about?

After a failed Alcatraz escape, Henri Young endures years in solitary – when he later kills a fellow inmate, young lawyer James Stamphill mounts a defence arguing the prison’s brutality drove him to it.

Who stars and who directed?

Director – Marc Rocco. Cast – Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, with William H. Macy, R. Lee Ermey and Embeth Davidtz.

Is it a true story?

It is inspired by a 1930s case and Alcatraz conditions – but Henri Young’s on-screen backstory is heavily fictionalised.

Why is Kevin Bacon’s performance notable?

He delivers a harrowing, physically and emotionally raw turn as Young – pivotal in both the prison scenes and the courtroom.

How do Oldman and Slater fare?

Gary Oldman is chilling as associate warden Milton Glenn – Christian Slater plays the idealistic attorney pushing a bold defence.

What genres does it blend?

Prison thriller and courtroom drama – with sequences that are intense, bleak and morally provocative.

What is new about this edition?

A brand-new 4K restoration – the film’s UK debut on UHD.

What special features are included?

New audio commentary by cinematographer Fred Murphy – making-of – 1995 interviews with Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon and director Marc Rocco.

Does the film take liberties with history?

Yes – while rooted in Alcatraz’s harsh reputation, the screenplay simplifies and softens aspects of the real Henri Young.

Who might enjoy this release?

Fans of hard-hitting prison dramas and legal thrillers – and collectors interested in a fresh 4K transfer with archival interviews.