Day 198: "The definition of rehabilitate: To restore to a state of physical, mental, and moral health through treatment and training."

Alcatraz.  Generally considered to be the most notorious prison in American history.  Murder In the First concentrates on the institution that was Alcatraz, and the responsibility that it shirked in the treatment of its inmates.  Another "based on a true story", Murder In the First looks at the story of Henri Young.  As a youth, Young robbed a general store of a total of five dollars.  Unfortunately for him, that store was also a post office, making his crime a Federal offense.  He was then sent to Alcatraz (A Federal prison) to serve his time.  After a failed escape attempt, Young is forced to serve over three years in solitary confinement.  In Alcatraz.  In a room with none of the amenities that human beings are entitled (not even a toilet).  Needless to say, Young is "affected" by his time alone, and upon his reintegration to the general population, attacks and kills a fellow inmate.  Now on trial for murder, he has to defend his actions.  A young lawyer, James Stamphill, is assigned to the case, and begins to unravel the circumstances and treatment that drove a petty thief to kill.  This is actually one of the better courtroom dramas that I have watched.  The story moves the audience to the places it needs to be in the story and gets us to question the character and motives of those men who were made responsible for the rehabilitation of  those prisoners.

The ensemble cast is led by Kevin Bacon as Young.  This was a great performance from Bacon, and cements further in my mind the reason we see him everywhere: he's a great actor.  Christian Slater (not a favorite) does a good job as his attorney, Stamphill.  I just don't buy him in most roles.  Sorry, Christian, you did a decent job here, but you could have done better.  Gary Oldman is the sadistic Assistant Warden, Milton Glenn, a man less concerned with the welfare of his charges than their punishment due.  Another great performance from Oldman.  William H. Macy and R. Lee Ermey round out the remainder of the principle roles.

This is a tense drama from start to finish, showing us everything men are capable of from great to horrific.  I enjoyed this quite a bit and would recommend it to those who enjoy the Grisham-esqe courtroom stuff.  You'll never think of baseball the same way again.  8.25/10

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!