Felon

A prison film that begins when a man chases a burglar out of his house and kills him. Wade acts to protect his family, but it ends outside the house and the law does not count it as self-defence. He goes to prison for manslaughter. The real subject is what follows. Inside, Wade does not have to make a choice; the system chooses for him. There is an order run by the guards: prisoners are made to fight in the yard, bets are taken, and violence is used as an instrument of management. His cellmate, John Smith, has been inside a long time and is waiting to be executed. The relationship between them is the centre; Smith teaches him to survive, and the cost is Wade moving further from the man he was outside. Ric Roman Waugh directed; he came to filmmaking from stunt work and the trace of that shows in the violence. Stephen Dorff plays Wade and Val Kilmer plays Smith. A hard example for anyone who likes prison films and dramas that criticise institutions. Before you watch, know this: the film shows violence often and directly, and it is not a narrative that promises hope.