there's a good , and timely , story trapped deep within the excess of murder in the first , a new movie about the abuses of our prison system . 
with a country wrapped up in feverish debate over the crime issue and the rights of the accused and the incarcerated in jeopardy , this expose would offer something rare to recent american movies--a point of view . 
but director marc rocco makes it clear from the beginning that pretentious , often nauseating , camera movements and slick , mtv- style lighting and editing are far more important . 
there's not a moment in the picture where he surrenders technique for pure storytelling . 
and everything suffers . 
christian slater and kevin bacon star as defense attorney and alcatraz inmate , respectively . 
after spending an unprecedented amount of time in an isolated cell for attempting to escape , bacon murders another prisoner and faces trial . 
his young lawyer ( slater ) is fresh out of law school but determined to " put alcatraz on trial " for the abuses of it warden ( gary oldman ) . 
the result is the usual courtroom theatrics- imagine a stanley kramer production shot by hyperactive film school students . 
there's very little to praise here outside of kevin bacon's earnest overacting and the appropriate story . 
there's a lot of overacting from everyone--you know you're in trouble right away when r . lee ermey ( the drill sergeant in full metal jacket ) is cast as a judge , the center of reason and moderation . 
slater has never been convincing and certainly isn't here and oldman is on a bad streak of hammy performances . 
but the worst feeling you get while watching murder in the first is that the man behind the camera could care less about telling a good story . 
there are long exchanges of dialogue where the camera is not even moving near the characters , let alone with them . 
how frustrating it must be for actors to work under these conditions . 
if there's anything that has alway distinguished american films over the rest of the world , it is our ability to tell a good story . 
have we forgotten ?