58
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayFelon's dialogue is overheated and some of its plot twists are preposterous, yet it's still white-knuckle tense, and held together by dozens of small, well-observed moments.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterThe most startling performance comes from Val Kilmer as Wade's hardened cellmate, a man who combines bitterness with wisdom.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMr. Dorff’s hot-wired portrayal of a prisoner under physical and psychic siege gives Felon its emotional through line as Wade’s attitude metamorphoses from stunned disbelief, to terror, to despair, to fury and finally to hope.
- 70VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibStephen 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.
- 63TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghKilmer and Dorff, who was also an executive producer, immerse themselves in difficult roles.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceHarold Perrineau gives unintentionally comic expression in Felon to the delineation between his character's public and private scruples.
- 50New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickA good cast and disciplined direction add some distinction to Ric Roman Waugh's Felon, which is basically the old tale about an innocent man corrupted by a stay in prison.
- Felon is not a total bust. What does work is because of the strength of the actors. Dorff brings a visceral sense of desperation to his performance, though he does tend to go too big too quickly. Kilmer gives the film its center as an alien, still presence amid the chaos around him.
- 50Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanVal Kilmer, as a polite horn-rimmed sociopath with a heart of gold, keeps showing up to drop Nietzschean pensées.
- 40New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierThere are times when a Kilmer performance is like watching a clock move: well-timed and oddly compelling, even though it's totally predictable. That's the case with Felon, which doesn't belong to Kilmer but which he steals anyhow.