Murder in the First

Murder in the First is a 1995 film about a petty criminal named Henri Young who is unjustly sent to Alcatraz. The man is put into solitary confinement for 3 years (when the maximum is 19 days) making him go mad, and causing him to kill another inmate. A young lawyer is assigned to his case and defends him, while putting Alcatraz on trial by pointing out that the incredible brutality his client endured was in a sense the real killer.
 * Directed by Marc Rocco. Written by Marc Rocco and Dan Gordon.

The trial that brought down Alcatraz.taglines

James Stamphill

 * The definition of rehabilitate: To restore to a state of physical, mental, and moral health through treatment and training.


 * When you try to win, sometimes you lose sight of the goal.


 * Unlike many men who lived long after, Henri Young did not die in vain. In the end he was not afraid. He lived and he died in triumph. If only we could all do that.


 * Charles Dickens once said that solitary confinement was inhumane. Seven months later, the Supreme Court agreed. As a a result of the facts brought out in the trail of The People vs. Young, the dungeons of Alcatraz were closed forever. Associate warden Glenn was brought up on charges of mistreatment. He was found guilty. He would never work in the penal system again. I remained in private practice. I also became a baseball fan. You did it, Henri!

Henri Young

 * Action: I won. Reaction: you can't never take that away from me.


 * I got nothin'. I got nobody. I don't need a lawyer, I need a friend.

Milton Glenn

 * Some men are broken by the laws that they break, unable to resist the forces that are pulling them down. Other men live by the rules that society sets down. You're not one of them.

Other

 * Judge Clawson: I do not need you to tell me what is, or is not okay. In this courtroom, I am the one who decides what is, or is not okay. Okay?


 * Blanche, Hooker: Honey, you're gonna have to get it up first. It's like trying to stick an oyster into a slot machine.

Dialogue

 * James Stamphill: I was wondering if I could talk to you, sir, about a continuance.
 * D.A. William McNeil: No.
 * James Stamphill: You don't understand, sir, he just sits there. I can't even get him to speak.
 * D.A. William McNeil: Well maybe he's practicing for the gas chamber. Tell him to take deep breaths.


 * James Stamphill: Did you kill Rufus McCain?
 * Henri Young: I was the weapon, but I ain't no killer.


 * James Stamphill: How do you think the Yankees will do against the Redskins this year?
 * Henri Young: The Yankees are a baseball team. The Redskins are a football team. Personally, I think the Redskins would kick the shit out of them.


 * James Stamphill: I will ask you what I want to ask you.
 * Henri Young: And I answer what I want to answer.
 * James Stamphill: Fine.
 * Henri Young: Fine.


 * Milton Glenn: ln life for every action there is a definite and distinct reaction. Action... [cuts his hand with his razor] reaction.
 * Henri Young: Yes, Mr. Glenn.
 * Milton Glenn: Now, if you escape, action: I lose my job... Reaction: I have a family that I will not be able to provide for! Now, knowing this information, can you tell me why you would possibly want to escape and jeopardize my family? I've done nothing to you but my job. And instead of letting you learn by breaking the rules, I feel I need to show you how to obey them. Tolerance. Tolerance for pain. My tolerance of you. But tolerance can be mistaken for kindness. And kindness can be mistaken for weakness. And we can't have weakness, can we, Henri?

Taglines

 * They locked him up. They crushed his spirit. But they couldn't hide the truth.
 * One was condemned. The other was determined. Two men whose friendship gave them the will to take on the system.
 * The trial that brought down Alcatraz.
 * "I accuse Alcatraz of crimes against humanity." – The lawyer "I was a weapon, but I ain't no killer." – The accused "I am not on trial here." – The warden
 * One broke his silence. The other broke the system.

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