Murder in the First takes place in two worlds. One is cold, gray and artificially lit. The other is as warm as a cedar’s dream, all sunlight and furniture polish, brass and tweed. The film is about how a man who lives in one of these worlds might learn to trust a man who lives in the other one. It is a good idea, but the film depends on us believing in the two men, and that isn’t easy. — Roger Ebert