Ric Roman Waugh
Felon

Sometimes, there are things that take a completely different turn than you would have imagined. Take Wade Porter, an admirable family man, a highly respectable American citizen; one night while he's asleep, he finds an intruder in his home and his protective instinct gets him into trouble. This isn't about hate, nor about social standing; Wade becomes blind to the danger that someone might harm his loved ones and thus chases the harmless burglar, accidentally killing him with an unfortunate baseball bat blow.

The fairytale ends, Wade is guilty of murder, he has killed an unarmed man and ends up in prison. It’s useless to promise to stay out of trouble; in jail, you either join a brotherhood or become a dead man. Snitch and you die, disobey a leader and you die, don’t fight and you die, don’t earn respect and you die, annoy a guard and they make you die. Nothing like the peaceful life he was used to, it was hell.

Soon, inexperienced and naive, he gets embroiled in a gang murder. The sadistic and ruthless prison guard targets him, giving him a hard time. He drags him even deeper into that hostile territory by locking him in the same cell as John Smith (Val Kilmer), a notorious lifer, leaving him in isolation among the most ravenous murderers in the facility.

Wade not only learns to navigate the tangled web of rules dictated by the inmates, but he also understands that the most dangerous criminals are the guards—ruthless men, exploiters of violence, and active organizers of prisoner fights, even to the death.

The protagonist, who watches his life slip away before his eyes, believes he has lost everything: his wife, his son, and his dignity. He becomes a gladiator and during the yard time finds himself more and more involved in bloody fights, joyously watched by the guards. However, the rekindling of his relationship with his partner opens his eyes again, and with Smith’s help, he manages to escape that nightmare, incriminating the system.

This film seems to focus its meaning on prison sufferings, but it goes much further. Both Wade Porter, John Smith, and the black guard seek to uphold a theme of honor: family. Wade ends up in this situation first to protect, then to be able to reunite with his loved ones. John, perceived as a cynical inmate, shows that his cold cruelty was born only after his wife and daughter were brutally murdered. The same goes for the guards, whose main thought is to defend themselves so they can return home. Each protects themselves in a different way, yet all are brilliant examples of family leaders. Each of them is a distinct beast, each having refined a different technique to protect themselves. Some with strength, some with blackmail, some with cruelty, some with wit, but none stay idle. In such an environment, men transform into hungry wolves, ready to tear each other apart just to protect their offspring.

This is a good film, the message is splendid and it's more than well acted. However, no one can confuse it for a milestone. The originality is scarce, let's say that the influence of various films of the genre is felt. The best part is Val Kilmer's role, while I find Stephen Dorff (Wade Porter) unconvincing, a bit too forced in parts not suited for him. The screenplay sometimes falls into that average American style as do some aspects of the plot: the back-and-forth romance, the immediate (predictable) protection by one of the most dangerous lifers, the good cop against a thousand bad ones, and the fake blind warden who has a role just because it should be there.

In conclusion, I can swear I had a pleasant evening with this film; don’t expect a masterpiece but it’s definitely worth a watch.