DVD Review: Felon

J Osborne - Knight Ridder/Tribune

Felon (dvd and blu-ray) - ***

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the DVD "Felon" to video retail and rental outlets Tuesday, Aug. 12. If you really enjoy violent action films, you'll love this release.

"Felon" is an excellent film with great acting, an OK story and good dialog. While the plot flirts with typical prison antagonists and a semi-familiar plot the story appears -- to me at least, who has not been in prison -- very realistic and highly believable.

Prison movies are, basically, the same story with different characters. Usually the protagonist is convicted of a crime (which he did or did not do), is sent to prison and finds that they have to either adapt to their brutal new surroundings or die. Allies are won, enemies are made, death lurks around the corner. "Felon" is no different but it rises above most, in spite of the somewhat gory and contrived ending.

Lots of suspense, good solid action, excellent camera work and professional acting make this film a must for suspense fans.

The main fault I find with the DVD is the philosophy of the film. The film-makers, in my opinion, tell the viewers that prison turns people -- both the criminal and the jailers -- into monsters with not a shred of humanity within.

Another bothersome, at least for me, feature of the film is the loud strings during some of the scenes. Life does not come with a soundtrack. I don't need one when I'm watching a non-musical film.

Despite that flaw, it remains an eminently watchable work. This is an extremely violent release. This is not a movie for the younger set. It's not a Jackie Chan, violence laced with humor, release. This is a violent movie, with action sequences and some adult situations. It is not for everyone.

Originally "Felon" was made a Direct to DVD project but it was an smart thing that Sony gave this film an limited release before it was released on DVD for critics and audiences to see. The film critics have given "Felon" mixed reviews but there were many critics who enjoyed the performances especially by Kilmer in a difficult role. "Felon" is certainly a must-see for hard action fans.

Cast: Val Kilmer, Stephen Dorff, Harold Perrineau, Marisol Nichols, Anne Archer and Sam Shepard

Synopsis (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) A loving family man with a promising future, Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) suddenly loses everything when he accidentally kills the burglar who breaks 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 (Kilmer) and subjected to brutal beatings orchestrated by the sadistic head prison guard (Harold Perrineau), Wade soon realizes he's in for the fight of his life and must become the toughest felon of them all if he wants to survive the block. After all, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. And in state prison, only the strongest survive.

This riveting drama depicts a no-holds-barred account about life on the "inside." The DVD includes a "making-of" featurette entitled "The Shark Tank: An Inside Look at Felon" including commentary from writer/director Ric Roman Waugh, Stephen Dorff, and others from the cast and crew discussing filming on location in the old Santa Fe State Penitentiary. The group shares insights on what it was like filming in an actual prison and what went into the heavy stunt work that produced the stark realism in the gladiator fight sequences.

Three Stars

MPAA Rating: R

Running time 104 minutes

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Copyright 2009 by Knight Ridder/Tribune