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Murder in the First

Plot

This shocking prison drama was inspired by a true story. In 1938, Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), sentenced to Alcatraz for stealing $5, attempted to escape from prison with three other prisoners. One of the escapees was captured, and to curry favor with Warden Glenn (Gary Oldman), he informed on the others. Young was soon brought back to custody, and was to be punished by spending 19 days in solitary confinement. Nineteen days stretched into three years, in which Young was kept in a pit with no light, no toilet, no furniture, and nothing to read. Young emerged from solitary a vengeful madman, and he quickly murdered the convict who turned him in. Young was put on trial for the killing, and assigned a first-time public defender, James Stamphill (Christian Slater). Stamphill was horrified by Young's tales of the conditions at Alcatraz, and he used them as the basis of his defense for his client, believing that anyone would be driven to madness and murder if they had been treated the same way as Young. Murder in the First also features Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy, Brad Dourif, and R. Lee Ermey. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast

Christian Slater - James Stamphill
Kevin Bacon - Henri Young
Gary Oldman - Associate Warden Glenn
Embeth Davidtz - Mary McCasslin
William H. Macy - William McNeil

Brad Dourif - Byron Stamphill; R. Lee Ermey - Judge Clawson; Gary Ballard - Alcatraz Guard Swenson; Tony Barr - Winthrop; Douglas Bennett - Inmate #3; Charles Boswell - Simpson; Eddie Bowz - Alcatraz Guard; Eve Brenner - Winthrop's Secretary; Sheldon Feldner - Man on the Street; Stefan Gierasch - Warden James Humson; James Keane - Alcatraz Guard; Mia Kirshner - Adult Rosetta Young; Danny Kovacs - Man on the Street; George Maguire - Inmate #1; Michael Merrins - Alcatraz Guard; Stuart Nisbet - Harve; Randy Pelish - Alcatraz Guard Wimer; Kyra Sedgwick - Blanche; Ben Slack - Jerry Hoolihan; Neil Summers - Alcatraz Guard Whitney; Tim Winters - Alcatraz Guard; Gary Lee Davis - Giant of a Man; Stephen Tobolowsky - Mr. Henkin; Michael Melvin - Inmate Arthur "Doc" Barker; Wally Rose - Shopkeeper; William Hall - Man on the Street; Rob Lee - Newsreel Reporter

Credit

Michael Rizzo - Art Director, Philip McKeon - Associate Producer, Mary Jo Slater - Casting, Deborah Lee - Co-producer, Sylvia Vega-Vasquez - Costume Designer, Marc Rocco - Director, Russell Livingstone - Editor, Marc Rocco - Executive Producer, David L. Wolper - Executive Producer, Christopher Young - Composer (Music Score), Ed White - Musical Direction/Supervision, Lisa Rocco - Makeup, Kirk M. Petruccelli - Production Designer, Fred Murphy - Cinematographer, Marc Frydman - Producer, Mark Wolper - Producer, Greg Grande - Set Designer, Kevin McCarthy - Special Effects, Dan Gordon - Screenwriter

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