Anyone else think Felon (2008) is underrated?

wiredtiger10 said:If you want my take, it’s essentially two movies masquerading as one. On one level, you have your typical buddy comedy, but underneath that, it’s a slow descent into total chaos.

...plus, the soundtrack is absolutely flawless!

Alright, let's get back on track and stop the off-topic chatter. 😬

Killer movie. 9/10 😁

Solid... definitely recommend this one.

Man, this movie is absolutely top-tier... honestly, probably one of the best things I’ve sat through in the last three months... easily a 9.5/10 for me.

Felon (2008) 5/5 - TRAILER
Another killer prison flick... honestly, I could put this right up there with the heavy hitters like "Escape from Alcatraz", "The Shawshank Redemption", "Cool Hand Luke", or "Papillon". "Felon" is a crime drama about what happens when an average guy—someone we can actually relate to—makes one massive mistake and how that choice completely reshapes him, breaking him down or hardening him up. The directing is solid and the acting is top-tier. To be fair, I haven't seen much Stephen Dorff, mostly just remembering him as the bad guy in "Blade", which wasn't exactly Oscar bait. But here? He nails it. And Val Kilmer is just as good, if not better; in my book, this is his career-defining role. He’s brilliant as this calm, calculated, philosophical killer who always has an ace up his sleeve. Shout out to Harold Perrineau as Lieutenant Jackson, too... a family man who seems decent enough outside those walls, but inside, he’s a straight-up monster using the inmates as an outlet for all his real-world baggage. Director and writer Ric Roman Waugh spent two years digging into prison life, talking to guards and inmates to make sure this felt real. Even some veteran guard I saw venting online, who's watched every prison movie under the sun, claimed this was the closest thing to reality he's ever seen.
Overall, one of the best movies this year... a high-quality prison drama that won't let you down. Highly recommend.

Anthony Smith3 said:Honestly, if you ask me, Val Kilmer is the one who truly carries this. It’s easily his career-defining role. He just radiates this calm, philosophical, and calculated energy as a killer.

True, Kilmer is absolutely powerhouse here. Though, I don't know if it matters much for the debate, but if my memory serves, he isn't actually some mass murderer.

goldenhound32 said:Yeah, Val Kilmer absolutely kills it here. And look, I know this is nitpicking—but if I recall correctly, he isn't some mass murderer.

Nah... he only wiped out one family... sure, they were a huge group, but that's hardly his fault... 😁

goldenhound32 said:Yeah, Kilmer absolutely kills it here. Look, I know this is splitting hairs, but if my memory serves, he isn't some mass murderer.

Well... that's just how the guard labels him... because like he tells Dorff later

Spoiler

he wiped out entire families of those two guys who killed and raped his wife and daughter [SPOILER]...

[/SPOILER]

I finally sat down and watched it just a few days ago, and honestly, I’m still processing everything... what really stuck with me was the guy playing John Smith, because his performance was just absolutely killer, and then it hit me that it was actually Val Kilmer... I mean, truly incredible...

While I was watching, I didn't even realize it was him at first, you know? He’s just so transformative in this one, and if you ask me, he basically carried the entire movie on his shoulders...🙏🙏🙏

After watching Kilmer stumble through a few lackluster projects over the last few years, I have to say this movie is actually fantastic; if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.

I rewatched this a few days ago. Honestly? It’s a masterpiece. I’m still just as blown away now as I was the very first time I saw it. It’s raw, gritty, and just totally brutal. Val Kilmer🙏 was incredible. If the movie had gotten more hype, I bet he would've walked away with an Oscar. My only real issue is that ever since I saw Kilmer with a beard, I can't stop mixing him up with Bridges.😁

Such a great movie—definitely one of Kilmer's most powerful performances...
"Protect your family at all costs. Even if you're forced to kill again. Because if I had to, I’d wipe out the whole planet to get mine back." damn...

Really solid movie. Kilmer is absolutely phenomenal here, and honestly, Dorff proves with this performance that he’s an incredible actor who’s been way too underrated for far too long. His filmography over the years has been a total mess of questionable choices (though, hey, at least he knows how to hold his liquor when he's out with Jack Nicholson. I heard Jack once told him, "Way to go Dorff, way to go!" LOL). Perneau is great as always, and Shepard is just his usual stellar self. The beginning feels a little bit cheesy, almost like it's trying too hard to be sentimental, but as the story unfolds, it just keeps getting better and better. 8/10

Dorff performs brilliantly in Felon, but Kilmer? He absolutely crushes it.
Much like Draiman, I found myself rewatching his performance, and I just can't help but marvel at how Kilmer brought that role to life. For more, check out 🙏 🙏