Rating: 
Summary: Great Emotional Impact
Review: "Dead Man Walking" is a great drama released in 1995 starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. It was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. This true story was adapted into movie brilliantly. The emotional impact is present in every scene and every word. The hardcore impact is present from the moment Sister Helen meets Matthew, a death row inmate recently given his execution date, to the end. Such intensity keeps audience interested the whole time. This also opens the debate about death row in the US. The ensembe was lead by Tim Robbins in his directorial debut. He wonderfully created every scene with his own emotional impact, which is clearly expressed. Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Sister Helen (the real Sister Helen is seen in the candlelighting memorial). Her research of the events and the people is prevelant. This is one of her career bests. Sean Penn's portrayal of Matthew earned his place as a serious actor; therefore, placing him many steps ahead from where he was before. His heart and soul is poured into every scene, namely his breaking down scenes. Both actors' own emotional impact makes this movie a more unforgettable experience. Bruce Springsteen's theme song, also called "Dead Man Walking", is a great song and performance to represent such a powerful movie. The movie "Dead Man Walking" is great for those looking for a powerdrama. This will surely please audiences for many more years.
Rating: 
Summary: Capital punishment: Just or not?
Review: Director Tim Robbins' adaption of Sister Helen Prejean's book of her own denunciation of capital punishment is a probing and intelligent analysis of whether capital punishment serves or denies justice in a society where support for the death penalty hovers near the 80 percent mark. The complexities of the hotly debated issues that make up the pros and cons of state-sanctioned death are posited here, and the film doesn't come up with any clear answer one way or the other. But "Dead Man Walking" doesn't set out to answer that question. Instead, it focuses on one condemned murderer's unsteady walk to a gurney where he is to meet his final judgment and how one woman helps him accept responsibility for his guilt and accept his fate with the help of the faith she nurtures in him. Susan Sarandon nailed a Best Actress Oscar for her sensitive but practical portrayal of the nun who turns spiritual advisor to Sean Penn's condemned character. Looking every bit like someone capable of murder, Penn basks in one of the best performances of his career in an Oscar-nominated tour de force, and the unlikely Sarandon-Penn combination is subtly electrifying. In the end, director Robbins may be asking us to reassess our own position on capital punishment, and his film is a provocative and educational tool to use in starting that re-examination.
Rating:
Summary: every person need only ask for redemption from their heart,
Review: Doing good for goodness sakes. Sister prejean exemplifies the teachings of Jesus and of how Christians should live their lives by. This movie doesn't preach, nor does it necessarily feed you a messege. Every side is seen, and we also sympathize with each side. We grieve the loss of a son and a daughter of the victim, and we can't help but feel saddened by the fate of Matthew Poncelete. It's an odd feeling to sympathize with a man who, without a doubt, is deserving of the punishment he's about to recieve. But this movie doesn't get stuck with captial punishment issue. It certainly opens up the dialogue for people for and against death penalty, but it doesn't swing its influence one way or the other. We already realize his death is coming, and instead of forcing the tear out of us by making the movie the 'Hollywood' way (last minute pardon, miracles saves Matthew's life, ect.), it instead takes a spiritual path. The movie is about salvation and redemption of a sinner, and gives hope that no one is too far gone for forgiveness. All this, without an ounce of feeling like a Christian movie. Simply powerful.
Rating:
Summary: A MOVIE THAT INVITES TO REFLECT ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY.
Review: "Dead Man Walking" is a drama that analyzes the death penalty from two angles: the perspective of the accused, and the perspective of the families of the victims affected by the loss of a beloved one. The movie stars Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, both nominated to the Academy Awards for this movie (Sarandon won the best actress award), also the director Tim Robbins (Susan Sarandon's husband) was nominated. Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) is a teacher and an activist for the human rights. One day she receives a letter from Matthew Poncelot (Sean Penn), a prisoner accused of the rape and murder of two teenagers, and now sentenced to death. Matthew asks Sister Helen her help to get the pardon of the authorities and stop his future execution, claiming that he is innocent. Through "Dead Man Walking", Sister Helen tries to save Matthew's life, but every day that passes seems more difficult to achieve it, so eventually she invites Matthew to search for his inner peace and to regret for his crimes. The movie shows the pain provoked to the families of the victims, as well as the pain inflicted to Matthew's family. "Dead Man Walking" doesn't try to say if the death penalty is right or wrong, its only intention is to present the consequences of that penalty. An interesting drama with very good performances, particularly the Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon performances.
Rating:
Summary: "dead Man Walking"
Review: What I liked the most about "Dead Man Walking" is the fact that it shows the issue from the death row inmate`s view. the film is not obviously in favour of one side,the murderers as well as the victim`s families point of view.
it is very emotional, especially the executionscene.
"Dead Man Walking" also leaves much space for your own thoughts and I can imagine that it may change people`opinions about the death penalty, or at least make them think about it.
Rating:
Summary: An emotionally charged masterpiece
Review: I saw this in my High school law class. We had just finished discussing the death penalty. I had always been an eye for an eye person, but this movie is so brilliantly presented. It never assumes the role of being too sympathetic to the condemned Sean Penn nor does it outright say he deserves to die. Instead of doing the usual, director Tim Robbins presents every side of the issue, allowing for one of the best masterpieces of the film. The murder scene is never too graphic but is still chilling. My favorite scenes were Sarandon's attempts to win Penn over to Christianity, Penn's moments with his family, and Sarandon singing to Penn as he is being led to the execution chamber. I havenot yet bought this, but it will be in my collection very soon.
Rating:
Summary: "dead Man Walking"
Review: What I liked the most about "Dead Man Walking" is the fact that it shows the issue from the death row inmate`s view. the film is not obviously in favour of one side,the murderers as well as the victim`s families point of view.
it is very emotional, especially the executionscene.
"Dead Man Walking" also leaves much space for your own thoughts and I can imagine that it may change people`opinions about the death penalty, or at least make them think about it.
Rating:
Summary: Dead Man Walking
Review: In my opinion Tim Robbins succeeded in making a realistic film. The fact that it is based on the book by the real Sister Helen avoids that it seems to be pure invention. Futhermore Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn did a very good job because thy did not seem to play a role, but to be the characters. They managed to create an intimacy although they have no physical contact. What I also liked about the film is that it does not influence the watcher in his/her attitude towards capital punishment. It just shows both sides so that the watcher can form an own judgement about the subject.
The only thing that I disliked was the beginnig of the execution scene when Matt is to symbolize Jesus Christ. You cannot compare a cruel rapist and murderer to the most unselfish man there ever was!
But all in all it is a good film that makes you think about your own attitude towards death penalty.
Rating:
Summary: A film to contemplate and to change your way of thinking
Review: Tim Robbins presents in his movie "Dead Man Walking" the subject capital punishment. But compared to many other directors who have also dealed with this matter Tim Robbins does not give the audience a didactic message. By using flashbacks and changes of perspectives he presents every side of the crime Poncelet commited. Showing the cruelty of the crime and the grief of the victim's families on the one hand and the development of Matt Poncelet and the sorrow of his family after the execution on the other hand makes the viewer contemplate. Do you have to atone for a murder by another murder?! These are the major aspects which make the viewer think. Think about his own opinion concerning the death penalty.
The main reason why I gave this movie four stars is that Tim Robbins provides changes of perspective and does not try to push the audience in one direction. Consequently every viewer of the film gets the chance to change his opinion about the death penalty. Besides the great performances by Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon the film is worth seeing because it gives you the opportunity to see the matter capital punishment with other eyes.
Rating:
Summary: Not only another movie about the death penalty
Review: The death penalty - Dealing with this topic in their movies seems to be very challenging for many directors and actors in Hollywood. During the last years you could watch Gene Hackman in "The Chamber", Clint Eastwood in "True Crime" or Tom Hanks in "The Green Mile" - all these ones are great movies but you can't overcome the feeling that they are not completely honest; they often seem to be tailored to Hollywood-industry.
Dead Man Walking does not spend so much effort on making the story exciting and unpredictable but therefor it does not fail on presenting all the characters and circumstances concerning the execution in a realistic, human and in an emotional way.
This movie is made plain, there isn't much to distract the audience from the question whether they plead for capital punishment or whether they not. And this is what I like most about this movie: It is not interested in forcing one right opinion about the death penalty upon the audience, but wants you to contemplate about this topic and further about death, forgivness, faith and unlimited love.
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