DEAD MAN WALKING
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
**** (out of 4 = excellent) 1995, R, 122 minutes [2 hours, 2 minutes] [drama] starring: Susan Sarandon (Sister Helen Prejean), Sean Penn (Matthew Poncelet), Raymond Barry (Earl Delacroix), R. Lee Ermey (Clyde Percy), produced by Jon Kilik, Tim Robbins, Rodd Simmons, written and directed by Tim Robbins, based on the novel by Sister Helen Prejean.
Capital punishment is one of the most difficult issues of all time. Many people base their opinion upon ethical and spiritual values, but we usually don't stop to consider the prisoner as a person do we? "Dead Man Walking" is quite an accomplishment as it sheds light on the issue from all angles. Susan Sarandon stars as Sister Helen Prejean, a very friendly and kind nun who suddenly finds herself drawn to a convicted murder and rapist named Matthew Poncelet (Penn) in his time of need. She believes anyone is capable of salvation and murder is wrong whether it be in combat, crime, or authorized by the government. Throughout the film Poncelet declares his innocence, claiming he was framed and the real killer is walking free. All criminals tend to say this, and after a while they convince themselves they really are innocent and feel no remorse for their crime. Robbins carefully places flashbacks of the night of the crime to show just how brutal the crime was and to prove Poncelet's guilt. This is a great method of storytelling because each person who views this film will form a different opinion. He obviously is a vicious criminal and he should pay, but because of the love that Sister Helen has for him we really start to consider other options. At first Sister Helen tries desperately to fight his death sentence, but since she is poor she cannot get a good lawyer. This is very realistic because we all know the rich and powerful are able to buy their freedom. In some ways it's difficult to relate to the situation of the story. Most of us are not family members of murder victims, and so we can only imagine the pain and rage the family members of Poncelet's victims must feel. In any other film we wouldn't get to hear their "side" at all, but this film does an excellent job in depicting all the possible viewpoints. Raymond Barry co-stars as Earl Delacroix, the father of one of the victims, who hates Poncelet and can't understand how a nun could defend that "monster." When Sister Helen tries to explain her reasoning, we realize she might be following a foolish heart. One of the most moving scenes occurs when Sister Helen visits the family of the other victim and hears them tell the horrible story of when they heard their daughter was dead. R. Lee Ermey and Celia Weston (Mr. and Mrs. Percy) give incredible performances. At first, they think Sister Helen is on "their side," but they become almost as furious with her as they are with Poncelet when they discover that she wants to save his life. It seems what everyone is missing is Sister Helen is not so much trying to save Poncelet's life so much as his soul. She frequently visits him in prison talking to him about the Bible and about the teachings of Jesus. "And the truth shall set you free" she tells him. At first he doesn't understand it, but after deep contemplation he confesses his sins and seems to make peace with himself, although I am not completely sure if he makes his peace with God. There are many unresolved themes and elements like this throughout the film, but this is probably the most significant. Maybe "Dead Man Walking" leans a tad to the left because of its detailed characterization of, and our sympathy for Sister Helen and Poncelet. But what it really wants to show is the criminal is a human being with a soul, and therefore is able to redeem themselves if they so choose.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews