Murder In The First

Kevin Bacon and Christian Slater star in this legal drama directed by Marc Rocco. At the age of 17, Henri Young (Bacon) is imprisoned for petty theft. After he is transferred to Alcatraz, he attempts unsuccessfully to escape and as a result, he is repeatedly beaten by warden Milton Glenn (Gary Oldman) and is subjected to solitary confinement for three years. When he is finally released back into the general population, he is a broken man and kills a fellow prisoner. As he awaits his trial for first degree murder, public defender James Stamphill (Slater) is given his case. Despite the opposition he faces, Stamphill becomes convinced that the conditions at Alcratraz are to blame and prepares to mount Henri's defence. The cast also includes Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy and Brad Dourif.