Felon - Prison Drama
The prison movie has been an astonishingly resilient and universal sub-genre in the history cinema. It's been around for years: I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932), exists in all national cinemas: The Experiment (2001) from Germany, Scum (1978) from UK, A Man Escaped (1957) from France, and is championed by both mainstream Hollywood: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and the low-budget independent scene: Animal Factory (2001). Felon (Ric Roman Waugh, 2008) continues the rich tradition of the prison film, exploring its concerns with the brutal and dehumanising effects of institutionalisation. Though not an innocent man, Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is unjustly imprisoned for a random act of "self-defence", his sentence manifestly out of line with his offence. Porter's existence is reduced to a daily battle to survive after he is thrust into a maximum security institution with all manner of hardened criminals and sadistic guards. Felon channels the spirit of earlier prison films exploring the brutal environment of an iron-bar jungle where there is no law and only fatherly "lifers" offer hope.
Felon opens with idyllic scenes of a young family keen to make its way in the world. Wade Porter is a hard worker who operates a small gang of labourers and his fiancé rears their young son. The couple are striving to put together money for their imminent wedding. Everything in Porter's world is travelling in the right direction, until one night, he fatally attacks an intruder while protecting his family. This impulsive act will have dire consequences culminating in an extended stint in prison. Like The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont) and An Innocent Man (Peter Yates, 1989), this is a film in which a virtual innocent is cast into a sea of sharks with no preparation for what lies ahead. The only way a soft-case can survive in the joint is through the guardianship of an older, wiser con. In Felon, that con is played by a practically unrecognisable Val Kilmer. He is John Smith, a mass murderer who has earned a level of respect in the penal system which affords him immunity from the gang culture. It is Smith who eventually takes Porter under his wing and teaches him the (incredibly elaborate) rules of the prison yard (who'd have thought that doing time would be so complicated!?) What Smith can't prepare Porter for is the cruel practices of the prison guards. Lieutenant Jackson (Harold Perrineau) leads a special unit charged with guarding a particularly violent wing of the prison. He and his fellow guards take a sadistic delight in punishing the inmates. Felon explores these vicious practices in great detail, providing a damning indictment of the exploitative aspects of corrections facilities and their disingenuous pretence toward rehabilitation.
It's easy to feel sympathy for Porter given his circumstances. He is a victim of a grave injustice and pays continuously for the mistakes of others. The performance of Stephen Dorff in the lead role captures Porter's vulnerability with great subtlety. He is thrust into an otherworldly institution that bears no resemblance to his "real" world. Porter has no way of knowing how to respond to events that unfold around him. Dorff is best at capturing the confusion of his situation. Porter is beset by all manner of further injustices when he enters the unforgiving prison system and it is only his family that offers hope. His fiancé, Laura (Marisol Nichols), is the light in his life and she inspires him to survive. Nichols provides the warm heart at the centre of this cold and desperate film. Perhaps the most cold-blooded turn comes for Perrineau playing a genial single father to his beloved son on the outside, but a heartless and vindictive prison guard on the inside. The severe dichotomy in Perrineau's chilling performance is terrifying and may make you look differently at all the happy-go-lucky people you meet on the street. Overseeing the young actors is Kilmer, whose enigmatic presence adds a tremendous depth to Felon.
Whereas Kilmer is modest and restrained, Waugh's direction of Felon is ostentatious and tends toward overstatement. Early scenes in the film when Porter's life is taking its aberrant course are accompanied by shaky camerawork conveying the unease experienced by the protagonist. These moments are particularly effective at establishing the bewildering momentum that propels the unlikely course of events. Later, the detail afforded the prison routine grants the work a docu-drama quality that reinforces the brutal and dehumanising nature of imprisonment. Less effective are the scenes of the pseudo-gladiatorial battles within the prison yard, supervised by the guards with a sadistic glee. Many viewers may find these scenes convoluted and unlikely, undermining the documentary realism that colours the rest of the film. These sequences seem even more jarring when contrasted to the discreet moments exploring the developing relationship between Porter and Smith after they are forced to share a cell.
It is the understated elements of Felon which raise it above the exploitative prison film so often obsessed with violence and brutality. Many of the quiet dialogue scenes between Porter and Smith are touching, and the latter's explanation of his crime develops into a tremendously emotional validation of family. Much of the success of this film is due to the quality performances of the cast who imbue the material with its much needed poignancy. Though the film falls into the trap of overplaying the vicious realities of prison-life, mercifully it offers an alternative trajectory that is more optimistic. Felon demonstrates that even in the most barren of emotional landscapes it is possible for humanity and compassion to survive.
Stephen Dorff - ripped and angry
Felon opens with idyllic scenes of a young family keen to make its way in the world. Wade Porter is a hard worker who operates a small gang of labourers and his fiancé rears their young son. The couple are striving to put together money for their imminent wedding. Everything in Porter's world is travelling in the right direction, until one night, he fatally attacks an intruder while protecting his family. This impulsive act will have dire consequences culminating in an extended stint in prison. Like The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont) and An Innocent Man (Peter Yates, 1989), this is a film in which a virtual innocent is cast into a sea of sharks with no preparation for what lies ahead. The only way a soft-case can survive in the joint is through the guardianship of an older, wiser con. In Felon, that con is played by a practically unrecognisable Val Kilmer. He is John Smith, a mass murderer who has earned a level of respect in the penal system which affords him immunity from the gang culture. It is Smith who eventually takes Porter under his wing and teaches him the (incredibly elaborate) rules of the prison yard (who'd have thought that doing time would be so complicated!?) What Smith can't prepare Porter for is the cruel practices of the prison guards. Lieutenant Jackson (Harold Perrineau) leads a special unit charged with guarding a particularly violent wing of the prison. He and his fellow guards take a sadistic delight in punishing the inmates. Felon explores these vicious practices in great detail, providing a damning indictment of the exploitative aspects of corrections facilities and their disingenuous pretence toward rehabilitation.
It's easy to feel sympathy for Porter given his circumstances. He is a victim of a grave injustice and pays continuously for the mistakes of others. The performance of Stephen Dorff in the lead role captures Porter's vulnerability with great subtlety. He is thrust into an otherworldly institution that bears no resemblance to his "real" world. Porter has no way of knowing how to respond to events that unfold around him. Dorff is best at capturing the confusion of his situation. Porter is beset by all manner of further injustices when he enters the unforgiving prison system and it is only his family that offers hope. His fiancé, Laura (Marisol Nichols), is the light in his life and she inspires him to survive. Nichols provides the warm heart at the centre of this cold and desperate film. Perhaps the most cold-blooded turn comes for Perrineau playing a genial single father to his beloved son on the outside, but a heartless and vindictive prison guard on the inside. The severe dichotomy in Perrineau's chilling performance is terrifying and may make you look differently at all the happy-go-lucky people you meet on the street. Overseeing the young actors is Kilmer, whose enigmatic presence adds a tremendous depth to Felon.
Val Kilmer - hirsute and angry
Whereas Kilmer is modest and restrained, Waugh's direction of Felon is ostentatious and tends toward overstatement. Early scenes in the film when Porter's life is taking its aberrant course are accompanied by shaky camerawork conveying the unease experienced by the protagonist. These moments are particularly effective at establishing the bewildering momentum that propels the unlikely course of events. Later, the detail afforded the prison routine grants the work a docu-drama quality that reinforces the brutal and dehumanising nature of imprisonment. Less effective are the scenes of the pseudo-gladiatorial battles within the prison yard, supervised by the guards with a sadistic glee. Many viewers may find these scenes convoluted and unlikely, undermining the documentary realism that colours the rest of the film. These sequences seem even more jarring when contrasted to the discreet moments exploring the developing relationship between Porter and Smith after they are forced to share a cell.
It is the understated elements of Felon which raise it above the exploitative prison film so often obsessed with violence and brutality. Many of the quiet dialogue scenes between Porter and Smith are touching, and the latter's explanation of his crime develops into a tremendously emotional validation of family. Much of the success of this film is due to the quality performances of the cast who imbue the material with its much needed poignancy. Though the film falls into the trap of overplaying the vicious realities of prison-life, mercifully it offers an alternative trajectory that is more optimistic. Felon demonstrates that even in the most barren of emotional landscapes it is possible for humanity and compassion to survive.
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