A good cast and disciplined di rection add some distinction to Ric Roman Waugh’s “Felon,” which is basically the old tale about an innocent man corrupted by a stay in prison.

Stephen Dorff plays a dad who accepts a plea deal for hard time after he loses it and accidentally kills a home invader. This makes our blue-eyed hero prey for a sadistic guard (Harold Perrineau) who pits him against black and Latino prisoners for sport.

Protection comes in the form of our hero’s cellmate, a philosophical longtimer played by erstwhile Batman Val Kilmer, who teams up with a former guard (Sam Shepard) to mastermind an improbably happy ending.

Running time: 104 minutes. Rated R (violence, profanity). At the Sunshine, Houston Street and Second Avenue.