What to know

critics consensus

Felon offers a rather hackneyed depiction of prison life, but is held together by a pleasantly complex plot and solid performances from Kilmer and Dorff. Read critic reviews

You might also like

Where to watch

Show all services

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

Felon Photos

View All Photos (17)

Movie Info

A new convict (Stephen Dorff) struggles to maintain his sanity and sense of humanity after he's thrust into a prison system in which a brutal guard (Harold Perrineau) encourages gladiatorial combat between inmates.
  • Rating:
    R (Pervasive Language|Brutal Violence|Brief Nudity)
  • Genre:
    drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Ric Roman Waugh
  • Producer:
    Tucker Tooley, Dan Keston
  • Writer:
    Ric Roman Waugh
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     limited
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Stage 6 Films

Cast & Crew

Stephen Dorff
Wade Porter
Val Kilmer
John Smith
Harold Perrineau
Lt. Jackson
Marisol Nichols
Laura Porter
Anne Archer
Maggie
Sam Shepard
Gordon Camrose
Nick Chinlund
Sgt. Roberts
Johnny Lewis
Snowman
Nate Parker
Officer Collins
Greg Serano
Officer Diaz
Ric Roman Waugh
Director
Ric Roman Waugh
Screenwriter
Tucker Tooley
Producer
Dan Keston
Producer
Vincent Newman
Executive Producer
Stephen Dorff
Executive Producer
David Peters
Executive Producer
Gerhard Daum
Original Music
Dana Gonzales
Cinematographer
Jonathan Chibnall
Film Editor
Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Felon

Critics Consensus: The Dark Knight Is One Of The Year’s Best-Reviewed
View All

Critic Reviews for Felon

All Critics (24) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (9)

  • Quote not available.

    November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5

    Joshua Rothkopf

    Time Out

  • Quote not available.

    September 7, 2011 | Rating: C | Full Review…

    Owen Gleiberman

    Entertainment Weekly

  • It's still white-knuckle tense, and held together by dozens of small, well-observed moments.

    October 18, 2008 | Rating: B

    Noel Murray

    AV Club

  • Stephen Dorff's powerhouse perf as an ordinary Joe trapped behind bars with warring ethnic psychopaths propels "Felon" well ahead of its expose/exploitation brethren while still avoiding the pious learning curves of Frank Darabont's prestige prison dramas

    July 21, 2008 | Full Review…

    Ronnie Scheib

    Variety

  • Tough, brutish prison drama with an easy windup, but good acting and an uncompromising take on the prison system.

    July 18, 2008 | Rating: 3/4

    John Anderson

    Newsday

  • Written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and filmed at the New Mexico State Penitentiary near Santa Fe, Felon is one of the most realistic prison films ever made.

    July 18, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/5

    Stephen Holden

    New York Times
View All Critic Reviews (24)

Audience Reviews for Felon

  • Oct 19, 2012
    A bit sappy, but the acting was better than expected.
    Christian C Super Reviewer
  • Mar 25, 2010
    Prison movies are my favorite just because they scare the crap out of me. And what could make a prison movie better than Stephen Dorff and an old gruff Val Kilmer? I liked that Nick Chinlund plays a good guy (sort of) for once. Harold Perrineau once again plays an asshole really well. Pretty good stuff all around. I'm glad it didn't have an escape from prison ending like 99% of these movies do.
    Curtis L Super Reviewer
  • Feb 07, 2010
    This was one hardcore flick!
    Ida K Super Reviewer
  • Feb 02, 2010
    probably the harshest prison drama since shawshank. another good performance from kilmer
    Sanity Assassin ! Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

Felon Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

Movie & TV guides