Felon (2008)

	Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/Prison NORWEGIAN TITLE Felon RUNNING TIME 104 minutes
	Produced by: Dan Keston Nick Phillips Christopher Wilhem
	Written by: Ric Roman Waugh

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Wade Porter	Stephen Dorff
Laura Porter	Marisol Nichols	½
John Smith	Val Kilmer
Lieutenant Bill Jackson	Harold Perrineau
Officer Diaz	Greg Serano	-
Jake 'Snowman'	Johnny Lewis
Officer James Collins	Nate Parker	½
Maggie	Anne Archer	½
Gordon	Sam Shepard	-

Review

** This review contains half-spoilers **

We all know that life in U.S. prisons is tough, but with Felon, filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh is out to prove that it's so tough that you can't even hold a camera steady. His images wobble around as we get to know Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff), a man who killed a fleeing burglar with a baseball bat, and John Smith (Val Kilmer), a guy who wiped out entire families after some other guys wiped out his family et cetera, et cetera. They get themselves tangled up with rival prison gangs and a very crooked lieutenant, and off we go: an ostensibly authentic, hardcore look at the American prison system. It often feels so gritty and "realistic" that you start questioning said realism. Especially seeing as everything ultimately turns out fine, with inmates having more or less "learned their lesson". Good performances are the most redeeming aspect of this semi-dud.