Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- gritty
- tense
- bleak
- gritty movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics found the prison-life depiction hackneyed but credited the film’s complex plotting and solid performances by Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wade is moved into maximum security under corrupt Lieutenant Jackson, where inmate gangs and abusive authority shape his survival.
Wade begins as a family man building a business and preparing to marry before killing a burglar and losing access to his family.
Wade enters prison inexperienced and must learn its rules through his friendship with lifelong inmate John Smith.
John Smith befriends Wade, offers practical advice, and instills hope that Wade can return to his family.
Films like Felon, and why
American History X
shares a prison drama setting, escalating institutional violence, and a protagonist forced to adapt to brutal incarceration
Shot Caller
shares crime drama intensity, morally compromised institutions, and a central character navigating violent prison power structures
A Prophet
shares a grounded prison setting, corrupt authority figures, inmate alliances, and emotionally direct dramatic stakes
Animal Factory
shares a family man’s descent into criminal institutions and a tense, violent prison-centered thriller structure
Movie Details
- Director
- Ric Roman Waugh
- Release Date
- 2008-07-17
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1025)
Cast
- Stephen Dorff
- Val Kilmer
- Harold Perrineau
- Marisol Nichols
- Johnny Lewis
- Nick Chinlund
- Anne Archer
- Larnell Stovall
- Sam Shepard
- Vincent Miller
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Philo, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Felon about?
- A suburban family man’s accidental act of self-defense plunges him into a corrupt maximum-security prison where survival demands moral transformation.
- What is Felon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Felon as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Felon violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Felon as brutal.
- What did critics think of Felon?
- Critics found the prison-life depiction hackneyed but credited the film’s complex plotting and solid performances by Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff.
- Which films are like Felon?
- Films with a similar feel include American History X, Shot Caller, A Prophet, and Animal Factory.
- How long is Felon?
- Felon runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Felon?
- In United States, Felon streams on fuboTV, Philo, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
