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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Felon
Stage 6 Films


9.0

based on 10 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 23 votes
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Rate this movie

Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: R for brutal violence, pervasive language and brief nudity

Starring Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer, Sam Shephard, Harold Perrineau, and Marisol Nichols

A loving family man with a promising future, Wade Porter suddenly loses everything when he accidentally kills the burglar who broke into his home. Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Wade is sentenced to spend the next three years inside a maximum security facility where the rules of society no longer apply. Forced to share a cell with a notorious mass murderer and subjected to brutal beatings orchestrated by the sadistic head prison guard, Wade soon realizes he’s in for the fight of his life and must become the toughest Felon of them all if he’s to survive the block. For what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. And in state prison, only the strongest will survive. (Sony Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Ric Roman Waugh
DIRECTED BY:	Ric Roman Waugh
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 12, 2008 Theatrical: July 18, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Felon's dialogue is overheated and some of its plot twists are preposterous, yet it's still white-knuckle tense, and held together by dozens of small, well-observed moments.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Mr. Dorff’s hot-wired portrayal of a prisoner under physical and psychic siege gives Felon its emotional through line as Wade’s attitude metamorphoses from stunned disbelief, to terror, to despair, to fury and finally to hope.

The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Farber

The most startling performance comes from Val Kilmer as Wade's hardened cellmate, a man who combines bitterness with wisdom.

Variety Ronnie Scheib

Stephen Dorff's powerhouse perf as an ordinary Joe trapped behind bars with warring ethnic psychopaths propels Felon well ahead of its expose/exploitation brethren while still avoiding the pious learning curves of Frank Darabont's prestige prison dramas.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Kilmer and Dorff, who was also an executive producer, immerse themselves in difficult roles.

Village Voice Ed Gonzalez

Harold Perrineau gives unintentionally comic expression in Felon to the delineation between his character's public and private scruples.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

A good cast and disciplined direction add some distinction to Ric Roman Waugh's Felon, which is basically the old tale about an innocent man corrupted by a stay in prison.

Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen

Felon is not a total bust. What does work is because of the strength of the actors. Dorff brings a visceral sense of desperation to his performance, though he does tend to go too big too quickly. Kilmer gives the film its center as an alien, still presence amid the chaos around him.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Val Kilmer, as a polite horn-rimmed sociopath with a heart of gold, keeps showing up to drop Nietzschean pensées.

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

There are times when a Kilmer performance is like watching a clock move: well-timed and oddly compelling, even though it's totally predictable. That's the case with Felon, which doesn't belong to Kilmer but which he steals anyhow.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Kaitlyn H. gave it a10:
I *loved* this movie sooooo much! i thought it was very well directed with amazing actors with such a gripping plot line, this movie made me happy and it made me cry. it made me think twice about how quickly life can change. it was simply amazing and it is now my new favorite movie!

George gave it a4:
Cliched and predictable, if well-acted.

Jay H. gave it a5:
Not bad, but I knew in the first scene when I felt he should have been arrested, that I was not on the same wavelength with the film's crew. From there, it is just another prison melodrama, but it is well done. The acting was good.

AJF gave it an8:
Great performance by Kilmer. Really enjoyed this movie.

Jason from Brighton gave it a9:
WOW the movie was Brilliant!! Dorff, Kilmer and Perrineau great performances. Tense and moving.

Roy L. gave it a9:
Great movie. Alot of detail about prison life.

Dan C. gave it a10:
A totally powerful film! I can't stop thinking about this movie.

Felon Stage 6 Films

Felon
Stage 6 Films