LAST DANCE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 5/3/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:43 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, violence, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid, Peter Gallagher, Jack Thompson, Jayne Brook, Charles S. Dutton Director: Bruce Beresford Producer: Steven Haft Screenplay: Ron Koslow based on a story by Steven Haft and Ron Koslow Cinematography: Peter James Music: Mark Isham U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Arriving at theaters in the wake of the far superior DEAD MAN WALKING, LAST DANCE starts out with a serious handicap. This less compelling tale of living on death row has neither the depth nor feeling of Tim Robbins' film, and, while Sharon Stone acquits herself admirably as the prisoner, Rob Morrow leaves something to be desired as the man on the outside who develops feelings for her. Hollywood rarely does this sort of hard-hitting story as well as independent productions, and this is a case-in-point.
While LAST DANCE isn't strictly a gender-switched re-telling of DEAD MAN WALKING, there are a number of obvious similarities. In this film, the death row inmate is Cindy Liggett (Sharon Stone), a woman tried and convicted for the brutal beating deaths of two high school kids. There's no doubt that she's guilty, and Cindy never pleads innocence, although she does claim to have been high on crack at the time of the deed. As a result of various appeals, she has been awaiting death for twelve years, and the execution order has been handed down three times. On this occasion, barring a last minute miracle, it appears that the lethal injection will be administered.
Enter Rick Hayes (Rob Morrow), a new hire at the Clemency Board. After reviewing Cindy's case, he thinks she might have been given a raw deal -- her lawyer didn't bring up the drugs in her defense. So, after breaking through Cindy's hard-as-nails exterior, he begins to gather evidence to obtain another stay of execution. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes emotionally involved, risking his career for the life of this friendless woman he has learned to care for.
Director Bruce Beresford, whose erratic resume includes titles ranging from the sublime DRIVING MISS DAISY to the pointless A GOOD MAN IN AFRICA, injects a little too much manipulation and melodrama into LAST DANCE. There's all sorts of legal maneuvering going on here. Often, instead of being captivated by the characters and their interaction, we're distracted by wondering whether Cindy is actually going to die in the last reel. I kept recalling the movie at the end of Robert Altman's THE PLAYER (where Bruce Willis rushes in to save Julia Roberts from the gas chamber), and worrying that something similar might happen here.
In actuality, LAST DANCE is more Rick's story than Cindy's. Her character doesn't have much of an arc; his does. When we first meet him, he's a brash lawyer looking for a handout from his brother (Peter Gallagher), the Governor's chief of staff. After taking Cindy's case for the Clemency Board, he becomes a crusader, not so much against the death penalty but for her life (although the film's message is clearly anti-death penalty). Unfortunately, Rob Morrow doesn't display enough depth as an actor to make Rick a real person -- there are too many scenes where he comes across as flat.
Sharon Stone is not a revelation, but, dressed in drab clothes with dirty brown hair, she gives the most impressive performance of a rather lackluster career. Throughout most of the film, there is a believable, haunted look in Stone's eyes, and the questionably-structured conclusion has power largely because of the way she reacts to events.
Ultimately, one of the biggest problems with LAST DANCE is that it doesn't take risks or break new ground. It's a little too safe, and, at times, that results in mediocre drama. DEAD MAN WALKING showed the power this kind of film can have when handled well; this picture illustrates the effects of softening it for mainstream appeal. There are moments when LAST DANCE generates a legitimate emotional impact, but the road to the closing credits is littered with too many unnecessary distractions (like the last-minute efforts to save Cindy). So, while this movie is perfectly watchable, and even worth a marginal recommendation, in comparison to DEAD MAN WALKING, it feels diluted.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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