

Murder in the First
The trial that brought down Alcatraz.
A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.
TMDB
7.1/10
641 votes
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $20M
- Box office
- $29.5M
- Language
- English
- prison
- prisoner
- death row
- alcatraz prison
- lawyer
- courtroom
- murder trial
- 1940s
- mistreatment
- public defender
- prisoner abuse
Top billed cast

















Behind the camera
Director
Writers
Music
Produced in
France, United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for United States. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalR20 Jan 1995
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical151 Dec 1995
United Arab EmiratesAE
- PhysicalDVD19 Jul 2022
AustraliaAU
- Theatrical1 Feb 1996
CanadaCA
- Theatrical20 Jan 1995
ArgentinaAR
- Theatrical2 Mar 1995
BelgiumBE
- Theatrical17 Jan 1996
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical14 Jul 1995
FranceFR
- PremiereDeauville American Film Festival1 Sept 1995
- Theatrical13 Sept 1995
- TV12Polar+22 Jan 2026
GermanyDE
- Theatrical168 May 1996
GreeceGR
- Theatrical1616 Feb 1996
IrelandIE
- Theatrical1 Dec 1995
Frequently asked questions
Murder in the First was released on 20 January 1995.
Audience reviews
1- W6/10
Wuchak
8/30/2021
_**Life on Alcatraz in the 30s and early 40s**_ A young lawyer (Christian Slater) defends an inmate of Alcatraz (Kevin Bacon) accused of murder in 1941, but argues that the cruel treatment in the notorious prison is what drove him to it. Gary Oldman plays the heartless Warden (technically associate Warden) while R. Lee Ermey is on hand as the judge. "Murder in the First" (1995) is a prison/courtroom drama tha…
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