Plot: What’s it about?
Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) is a man with a bright future, one he plans to share with his loving family. But when an intruder breaks into his home, Porter defends his family and chases the criminal out of the house. The chase doesn’t end there however, as Porter and the intruder scuffle outside, which results in the man’s death. While Porter was only protecting his home and his family, he winds up convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison. Once inside, he faces a constant stream of violence and unrest, putting him in danger at all times. He is attacked by other inmates, harassed by a sadistic prison guard, and then has to deal with his cell mate, a mass murderer. Can Porter manage to survive this hellish experience and return to his family, or will prison consume him?
The main plot device of Felon is by no means a unique one, as a good man finds himself in prison as a victim of circumstance, but does it rise above that common foundation? Felon is a decent movie, even if not always the most original one, but it does take us on a brutal, memorable ride. The road to prison is well laid out and executed, as the circumstances work against our protagonist in realistic, believable ways. In fact, that is one thing Felon does very well, as you could see just about anyone in this same situation, which is a somber thought. The introduction to prison and the first half of the movie are well crafted, an unflinching look at how bad things go in a short time period. The prison atmosphere is brutal, but not often over the top, at least not at first. But after the first half, the movie slides into all the cliches and the script unravels, leaving us with a mediocre conclusion. Even so, Felon starts off strong and for fans of prison cinema, its worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
Felon is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This transfer represents the intended visual design, but it isn’t pretty to look at, that is for sure. The image is covered in prominent, thick grain, which gives the visuals a gritty, real life feel, but at the expense of depth, detail, and other elements. The overall detail suffers, but the visuals look better than the DVD, though not by a wide margin. The colors have a muted presence to boot and between that and the grain, contrast suffers as well. I know this is how the movie is supposed to look, but I still can’t bring myself to score this one any higher.
Audio: How does it sound?
This Dolby TrueHD 5.1 option sounds good, but not great. The surrounds are active when needed, but the presence doesn’t offer a lot of power or creative touches. Just basic surround use, so fights sound good and loud elements are fine, but the smaller touches aren’t given much attention. The dialogue sounds good, but is a little loud at times, which causes some harshness. Overall though, a solid audio presentation. This disc also includes subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The lone supplement here is a thirteen minute behind the scenes featurette.
