Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment – 104 minutes – 2008 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio Mix

There are good prison films, The Shawshank Redemption, and there are bad prison films, Lock Up, but it’s a setting that Hollywood has been fascinated with for a long time. For some reason most prison and high school themed movies follow similar storylines, with a guy who doesn’t fit in, but is forced to fight back against bullies to either earn respect or stay alive. Felon, released on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, attempts to be a hard look at prison life, but it instead ends up looking like a lame episode of Oz.

THE MOVIE

Felon tries to be old fashioned, going for the simple story of a blue-collar family man, Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff), who lives a comfortable life with his wife Laura (Marisol Nichols), and young son. One night when an intruder attempts to rob their home, Wade catches the man and accidentally murders him. Being that the legal system is a mess, Wade is arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, given a three-year sentence at a maximum-security facility.

Wade quickly learns that he must do everything to survive if he ever wants to see his family again, going against obstacles like the vicious gangs that control the prison and the corrupt chief prison guard (Harold Perrineau). Thrown into the mix is John Smith a very bloated and gruff looking character played by Val Kilmer, who even though he’s a psychotic mass murderer, he also has a soft side and takes a liking to his cellmate Wade.

The main issue with Felon is that it’s trying to show how hard and dangerous prison life can be, but never really goes for it. Most of the characters are total clichés that we’ve seen in various other prison dramas, as well as most of the scenes. Prisoners being beat down and shanked, sadistic guards who get off on seeing them fight to the death, and humiliating strip searches. The HBO TV show Oz did it all in its multi-year run to show how insane things can be inside prison, but felon doesn’t take any risk.

The performances are acceptable, but even though we’re supposed to feel for Wade’s situation, after a while he just becomes a part of the scenery. Ironically, the one character that stands out is not even a prisoner. Marisol Nichols gives a good performance as a wife who is trying to deal with her husband being locked away, and it’s through her eyes that you actually see how difficult the whole situation has become.

Felon plays out to much like a made for cable movie, and doesn’t have the cinematic tone to go beyond that, because unlike other prison dramas there’s nothing here that stays with you after the credits roll. At the most, Felon is a rental and there’s no reason to add it to your permanent Blu-ray collection.

VIDEO

Felon has 1080p resolution with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and honestly there’s nothing high-definition about the transfer. It looks like a standard DVD that has been up-converted, with fuzzy visuals and muted colors. Obviously, a prison film is not going to look bright and colorful, but here even the skin tones look flat. Darker scenes are also flooded with grain, making you wonder if any real effort went into this transfer. If you want to show off your Blu-ray player to a friend, don’t stick this movie in.

AUDIO

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix is good for what it offers. Felon is a film that is dialogue heavy, and it all sounds clear, even with Val Kilmer mumbling his lines. Background sounds are also used well, so in scenes when there’s a fight between the prisoners, your rear speakers will echo with crowd chants. The music score sounds tacked on at time, but it’s subtle enough to be effective. Overall, Felon sound mix makes up for its image quality.

EXTRAS

The selection of bonus features are paper-thin, so if you did enjoy this film don’t expect much; there’s not even a director’s commentary track, which would have been a benefit for the disc.

‘The Shark Tank: An Inside Look at Felon’ is the only real extra; barely running a dozen minutes it gives you a quick glimpse at the making of the film with interviews from the cast and crew. There’s nothing stated that will make the film stand any stronger, but it’s better than nothing.

BOTTOM LINE

Felon will not be placed on any top ten best prison movie lists, but it’s not the worst film about the subject you’ll see, it just doesn’t push the envelope for the genre. If this were a standard DVD, maybe it might be worth your money, but as a Blu-ray featuring a generic image quality and no standout features; this is no more than a rental at best.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 2.5

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 2.0

Bottom Line: 2.5