DEAD MAN WALKING
A film review by Ben Hoffman
Copyright 1996 Ben Hoffman
Among the bitterest disagreements people have (right after religion) is on the subject of the death penalty. Put at its basic is "an eye for an eye" vs. "Who is man that he should play God? There are many sub-issues to the arguments and DEAD MAN WALKING takes on many of them. The film is based on a book by Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., but dramatic liberties are inevitably taken as this is not a documentary. The basic story, however, is true.
Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) is in prison after having been found guilty of rape and then the killing of the teenage lovers. Penn's performance is superb, now cocky, now desperate, sneering and laughing with disdain. Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) learns about Poncelet and, understanding his anguish, decides to try to comfort him despite his horrible crimes. At the same time, the nun has to consider the feelings of the parents of the slain couple, the fierceness of their understandable hatred and their wanting full retribution knowing that their children are gone forever. Director Robbins keeps everything as fair as possible
Sister Prejean is asked by Poncelet to be his spiritual advisor and to accompany him in his last moments before the execution. It is the final hour before his death that lifts the film onto a new plateau as we are shown, in detail, what happens at an execution to the prisoner, to the parents who want to watch, to the warden and the jailers, the reporters. It is a film to make you think and to think hard.
Robert Prosky has the role of the lawyer who seeks a last-minute stay of execution.
Directed by Tim Robbins
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Ben Hoffman
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