Movies - Murder in the First

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	Movies - Murder in the First

Murder in the First is a 1995 movie, directed by Marc Rocco, about a petty criminal named Henri Young played by Kevin Bacon, who is unjustly sent to Alcatraz.

Young had stolen $5 from a grocery store/US Post Office to feed himself and his little sister. After trying to escape he is sent to solitary confinement for 3 years, instead of the maximum sentence of 19 days, and eventually goes mad. He kills another inmate that was involved in the escape. His young lawyer puts Alcatraz on trial pointing out that the incredible brutality his client endured was in a sense the real killer. The film was a box office hit and Bacon's performance as the tormented prisoner was widely lauded. However, many have pointed out the film played fast and loose with the facts.

Joelene Babyak is a historian and author who has written several books on Alcatraz. Her father had been a guard there and she literally grew up on the island. Ms. Babyak points out that first of all, inmates were never sent directly to Alcatraz. They were always transferred from other prisons because of a history of escape attempts or violent behavior. She points out that the petty crime Bacon's character committed would not have sent him to "The Rock". Ms. Babyak points out the real Henri Young was a dangerous sociopath and career criminal who had an extensive record of violent crimes before he even came to Alcatraz. She also points out that his stint in solitary after his escape attempt was nothing like the movie portrayed. She charged that his lawyer merely had a clever sense of the dramatic and only used the "Alcatraz defense" to sway the jury to pity his client.

One might, however, question Ms. Babyak's complete neutrality, as well as that of the Alcatraz Alumni Association, a group that is proud of their heritage in connection with the prison island, and which served as a source for Ms. Babyak's book. While there is no doubt that "Murder in the First" took great liberties with the truth, there is no sense in pretending Alcatraz was a holiday resort, either, or that the young child of a guard would be privy to prison policy. Alcatraz was designed and publicized as the end of the line for hardened criminals, and solitary confinement for a period of 22 months - the period Mr. Young actually served - would certainly have a profound impact on one's mental state, regardless of the actual conditions.

For further information on the conditions of solitary in Alcatraz, one might refer to http://crimemagazine.com/alcatraz.htm According to this information, the dungeon levels did indeed exist, and conditions were far from genial.

Cast

Kevin Bacon
- Henri Young
Christian Slater
- James Stamphill
Gary Oldman
- Milton Glenn
Embeth Davidtz
- Mary McCasslin
William H. Macy
- D.A. William McNeil
Stephen Tobolowsky
- Mr. Henkin
Brad Dourif
- Byron Stamphill
R. Lee Ermey
- Judge Clawson
Mia Kirshner
- Adult Rosetta Young
Ben Slack - Jerry Hoolihan
Stefan Gierasch - Warden James Humson
Kyra Sedgwick
- Blanche, Hooker

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Murder in the First ]

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