The award winning legal thriller MURDER IN THE FIRST – starring Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Oldman – makes its UK UHD and Blu-ray debut on November 17, with a superb brand new 4K restoration.

Directed by Marc Rocco (Where the Day Takes You) and written by Dan Gordon (Rambo: Last Blood) MURDER IN THE FIRST, a combination of prison thriller and courtroom drama, stars Kevin Bacon (The Following), who won the Critics Choice Award for his portrayal of a convict on a murder charge, Gary Oldman (The Darkest Hour) as an unforgiving prison warden, and Christian Slater (True Romance) as an idealistic young attorney taking on what seems to be an unwinnable case. The film also features a fantastic supporting cast including William H.Macy (Fargo), R.Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) and Embeth Davidtz (Matilda).

This edition isn’t packed with special features however we will be treated to an audio commentary by cinematographer Fred Murphy (who also filmed Stir of Echoes, and October Sky) and so this chat track is of interest to me. I dont mind commentaries by people who weren’t involved in the film (such as critics or podcasters) but I really do love it when someone that did work on a film takes the time to talk us through their experiences of the film so Im looking forward to hearing Fred’s story. I first saw Murder In The First back in 95 when it was released and its a film I have seen a couple of times, but not for many years. The video store I ran had the film on VHS and it was a film I would watch from time to time.  It’ll be great to check out this new 4K restoration when it lands in November.

There is also a Making Of on the disc (although at the moment I don’t know if this is an archival featurette or a new one) and also Interviews with Christian Slater, Bevin Bacon and Marc Rocco, all of which were recorded in  1995

MURDER IN THE FIRST is available to buy on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from 17th November 2025 and available to pre-order HERE