Murder in the First

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Murder in the First

R

1995

2h 2m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Henry, a small-time criminal sent to Alcatraz, is caught attempting to escape and as punishment, he's put in solitary confinement. Instead of staying the maximum nineteen days, he is kept alone, in the cold and complete darkness for years, only to emerge a madman and a murderer. It's a rookie lawyer who proves Alcatraz is to blame, and that Henry should not be executed.

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Critics Consensus

Despite a strong cast and story inspired by incredible real-life events, Murder in the First is strictly second rate.

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

Nov 7, 2022

Playing the hero of an issues movie (and this one is dripping with issues) is usually a thankless task, but Slater carries this one with ease.

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Apr 12, 2002

The figures are right, the investment looks good, but the emotional pay-off is minimal.

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Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

May 12, 2001

More than likely you will forgive the compromises -- the story of Henri Young needed to be told.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Dec 26, 2025

3/4

...a somewhat erratic yet mostly compelling endeavor...

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Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

May 16, 2022

It’s depressing, it’s dark and dingy and so far it’s the strongest set of performances on the big screen this year.

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Mar 2, 2022

3/4

See this only for Bacon's compelling performance. Factual or not, he creates a moving portrait of a young man who never had a chance.

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Ellie C

@Ejtopsy82 May 12, 2026

Inspired by a true story, this movie has a stellar cast with Slater, Bacon, and Oldman performing at the top of their abilities. Moving, provocative, and gut wrenching; it’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you angry, and it’ll make you weep. A highly underrated movie with a beautiful score, It’ll leave you thinking about it long after it’s over.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Nov 29, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Maddox G.

@maddoxblade Aug 20, 2025

Best Kevin Bacon performance ever!

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Daniel N

@Hotchopeppa Aug 7, 2025

Boring, slow, uneventful and lacking any sort of power or emotion. You can see what they were trying to do but the movie was poorly written and lacked any heart. Basically a PG version of Kevin Bacons much better prison movie "Sleepers"

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 2, 2025

Success in 2 hours and 2 minutes.

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Alex H

@Alexoldgit Nov 5, 2024

This film is one of my all time favourites. I just don't understand the low scores. There is everything here, including action, tenderness, violence, a moving score, friendship, hatred, high emotion, shocking cruelty and on and on. As courtroom dramas go, this is among the best of the genre and is woefully underrated and unknown.

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Marc Rocco

Director

Christian Slater

James Stamphill

Kevin Bacon

Henri Young

Gary Oldman

Milton Glenn

Embeth Davidtz

Mary McCasslin

William H. Macy

District Attorney William McNeil

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Synopsis

Henry, a small-time criminal sent to Alcatraz, is caught attempting to escape and as punishment, he's put in solitary confinement. Instead of staying the maximum nineteen days, he is kept alone, in the cold and complete darkness for years, only to emerge a madman and a murderer. It's a rookie lawyer who proves Alcatraz is to blame, and that Henry should not be executed.

Director: Marc Rocco
Producer: Marc Frydman, Mark Wolper
Screenwriter: Dan Gordon
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros., Canal+
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.1M
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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