Murder in the First
A rookie public defender fights to exonerate an Alcatraz inmate accused of first‑degree murder, confronting a ruthless prison hierarchy and a courtroom that could seal both their fates.
“The trial that brought down Alcatraz.”
Synopsis
A young and inexperienced public defender is assigned to represent an inmate who is accused of committing murder while incarcerated.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 236+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Russell LivingstoneShot by Fred MurphyScored by Christopher YoungDesigned by Kirk M PetruccelliSound by Barney CabralCostumes by Joseph RovetoStunts by Doug Coleman
Box Office
1995 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.5× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$29.5M
US & Canada: $17.4M — 59% of worldwide · International: $12.1M (41%)
Opening weekend: $4.7M — 27% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $6.1M — 35% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,237 theaters
Also known as
- Lebenslang in Alcatrazde
- Murder in the First - Lebenslang Alcatrazde
- Meurtre à Alcatrazfr
- L'isola dell'ingiustizia - Alcatrazit
- (French)Meurtre à Alcatraz
- (English)Murder in the First
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- United StatesJan 5, 1995
- CanadaJan 20, 1995
- ArgentinaMar 2, 1995
- South KoreaMar 18, 1995
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Cast & Crew
236 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Christian Slater
as James Stamphill
Kevin Bacon
as Henri Young
Gary Oldman
as Associate Milton Glenn
Embeth Davidtz
as Mary McCasslin
William H Macy
as William McNeil
Stephen Tobolowsky
as Mr. Henkin
Brad Dourif
as Byron Stamphill
R Lee Ermey
as Judge Clawson
Mia Kirshner
as Adult Rosetta Young
Ben Slack
as Jerry Hoolihan
Stefan Gierasch
as Warden James Humson
Kyra Sedgwick
as Blanche
Supporting cast
68Alex Bookston
as Alcatraz Doc
Richie Allan
as Jury Foreman
Herb Ritts
as Mike Kelly
Charles Boswell
as Simpson
David Michael Sterling
as Inmate Rufus 'Ray' McCain
Michael Melvin
as Inmate Arthur 'Doc' Barker
George Maguire
as Inmate #1
Nick Scoggin
as Inmate #2
Douglas Bennett
as Inmate #3
Joseph Richards
as Inmate #4
Julius Varnado
as Inmate #5
Tony Barr
as Winthrop
Stuart Nisbet
as Harve
Gary Ballard
as Alcatraz Guard Swenson
Randy Pelish
as Alcatraz Guard McKeon
Neil Summers
as Alcatraz Guard Whitney
Sonny King
as Alcatraz Guard Wimer
Eddie Bowz
as Alcatraz Guard
Brian Leckner
as Alcatraz Guard
Time Winters
as Alcatraz Guard
James Keane
as Alcatraz Guard
Lance Brady
as Alcatraz Guard
Michael Merrins
as Alcatraz Guard
Ray Quartermus
as City Jail Guard
Lee Mathis
as City Jail Guard
Wayne Parks
as City Jail Guard
Warren Spottswood
as Cable Car Conductor
Thomas Fenske
as Newsreel Reporter
Robert Lee
as Newsreel Reporter
Sheldon Feldner
as Man on the Street
Fred Franklin
as Man on the Street
Danny Kovacs
as Man on the Street
Joseph Lucas
as Man on the Street
William Hall
as Man on the Street
Bill Barretta
as Man on the Street
Randall Dudley
as Man on the Street
Wally Rose
as Shopkeeper
Amanda Borden
as Rosetta Young - Age 9
Eve Brenner
as Winthrop's Secretary
Joseph Cole
as Marshall Gates
Richard Kwong
as Chinese Monk
Gary Lee Davis
as Giant of a Man
Paul Abbaszadeh
as Paper Boy
Mel Allen
as Self
Cabran E Chamberlain
as Prisoner
Bundy Chanock
as Police Officer
Tory Christopher
as Public Defender
William Cleere
as Prisoner
Annie Coffey
as Fireworks Spectator
Sean Coffey
as Fireworks Spectator #2
James Anthony Cotton
as Alcatraz Guard
Charles Cyphers
as Bailif
Mike Ferrante
as Alcatraz Prisoner
Laird Macintosh
as Reporter
Mary Mackey
as Prison Guard's Wife
Daniel Mandehr
as Alcatraz Guard
Theo Mayes
as Prison Barber
Colin Nicholas
as Prisoner
Dennis Pappalardo
as Inmate
Douglas W Randall
as Prison Guard
Michael Satterfield
as Trial Attendee
Bob Shuttleworth
as Court Reporter
Rafael Siegel
as Newspaper Reporter
Joseph Quinn Simpkins
as Reporter
James A Swan
as Alcatraz Guard
Nicole Vigil
as Restaurant Patron
Erick Vinther
as Gaurd #1
Ryken Zane
as Reporter
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
6Other crew
156Paula Suhy
additional assistant editor (as Paula Greatbatch)
Barry R Koper
additional makeup artist (as Barry Koper)
Pete Elia
adr recordist / sound mixer
Mike Scanlan
animatronic designer
Michael Rizzo
Art Director
Greg J Grande
as Greg Grande
Sylvia Vega Vasquez
as Sylvia Vega Vasquez
Ric Delgado
assistant chief lighting technician (as Richard K. Delgado)
Joseph Roveto
assistant costume designer / costumer: San Francisco
David Rennie
assistant editor
Claudia Avila
assistant hair stylist
Janice Berridge
assistant hair stylist
Parents Guide
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