Rating: 
Summary: This is why we watch movies
Review: An exceptionally well done human interest story that has you talking about it long after you've turned it off. Sean Penn shows us why he is the consummate actor of our time and the best years of his career are ahead of him as a leading character actor. He is about his craft, so he was willing to take on the role of this reprehensible human beast where actors that are in the business for glamour and image steered clear of this role. He manages to give this loathsome character, that had so lustfully raped and murdered, a modicum of humanity. Academy Award Winning Actress Susan Sarandon delivers as always and this movie goes to elevate her standing as one of the great ladies of the cinema. she is the bette Davis of our generation and she has gracefully transcended into the role of mature leading lady. Savor this movie, because as time goes on and movies become big screen adaptations of Video games, and those who star in them have no greater depth than a plastic action figure, character driven movies with compelling real life drama will go the way of the dinosaur.
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Summary: Sensitive drama devoid of cheap shots
Review: I believe this to be one of the topnotch "issue" films ever made. While the wide majority of pictures caters to the lowest common denominator and plays to its presceened audience this movie takes a controversial topic, the death penalty, and sheds light on it from every corner. There are no moral shortcuts here, no easy cop-outs and no last minute sermons. It shows the brutality of murder whether it's committed in brutal depravity or government sanctioned cleanliness. One walks away from it with an overwhelming understanding for the basest instincts in humanity and how they are intricately woven into all our psyches. Sarandon is luminous as a nun trying to bring dignity to one doomed man who she knows to be a vicious killer and still thinks deserves better than the system that is condemning his act and then taking it upon itself to snuff out his life. It becomes a story not about who deserves to die but who deserves to kill.
Rating:
Summary: true to life
Review: This is an excellent movie. A true story with a beautiful juxtaposition between killing as a crime and killing as a method of punishment by the state. The ending scene is powerful. It makes one rethink the position that they hold on the death penalty. Whether your opinion is changed or not; you will be moved to think.
Rating:
Summary: A Moving & Poignant Drama
Review: This movie takes a look at a death row inmate facing his last few days of life and how he comes to grips with the crime he committed. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn give riveting performances as the main characters in this film. Penn stars as Matthew Poncelet, a man sentenced to die for committing two brutal murders. Sarandon stars as Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who begins corresponding with Poncelet and finally goes to the prison to meet him. What she encounters is a hardened criminal who shows no remorse for his crimes, and even places blame on the system for locking him up, all the time claiming his innocence and insisting he was merely a bystander. Prejean tries to break through Poncelet's thick exterior and help him realize that he is indeed responsible for his crimes and he should seek forgiveness, both from God and the victims' families.I was struck by the way the film showed the change in Poncelet as his execution date neared. Gone was the rough exterior, replaced by a person who has finally accepted his fate and his mistakes. Prejean also grows to genuinely care for Poncelet, and he of her, as well. Sarandon won an Academy Award as best actress for her role as Prejean, and Penn was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Poncelet. This is a gripping, realistic drama about life on death row, and Penn and Sarandon make it seem very life-like. I highly recommend this moving film. You won't think about the death penalty the same way again.
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Summary: Ever cried because a murderer would die? You will.
Review: Susan Sarandon plays Sister Helen Prejean, a nun who has been contacted, through letters, by Matthew Poncelet, a convicted killer on death row, played eerily well by Sean Penn. This movie follows their relationship as they grow closer and closer to eachother until it can go no further. Prejean, a loving, empathetic, and helpful woman is inspiring and amazing. She battles her own personal struggles alone so as to continue helping Poncelet as much as she possibly can. Poncelet is, at first, a harsh living example of brutality, mistakes, and most of all, regret and redemption. Never swallowing his pride, he continually tries to convince those around him that he is innocent, he never killed anyone, and that although he was wrongly convicted, he is not afraid to die, and realizes there are no alternatives. Just when you think he is as abrasive as he can get, there are some rapid twists in his opinions and actions, and finally, a tear is shed for a man who made a hellacious mistake, a man who feels sorrow for someone other than himself for once, and a man who finally opens up and lets someone in rather than playing the role of a hardened inmate. The acting is phenomenal (in both lead and supporting roles as well; keep an eye out for a then-nobody Jack Black as Poncelet's brother), the script is impressively simple, yet complex, and this movie is brilliant. A bit slow moving at times, it's all worth it in the end. Definitely a movie to be watched with a full box of tissue.. very, very well done.
Rating:
Summary: deeply compeling
Review: Dead Man Walking really takes the viewer into a situation where they experience life and death first hand. It's a rare glimpse of how violence affects us all. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn both give powerful performances. It's really an unforgettable movie.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling & well done
Review: Okay, must admit Penn and Sarandon aren't two of my favorite actors. For that matter, I can't imagine someone like Tim Robbins creating high art and social commentary. But this film has proven me wrong on all levels. Not only is Robbins script and direction sterling, but both Penn and Sarandon are flawless in their portrayals or a true story. Sharp, smart, and never once does this film pander. Great filmmaking all around.
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Summary: Emotionally Involving Drama from Tim Robbins
Review: In a world in which debatable and misunderstood subjects can be listed endlessly, this powerful 1995 film takes on one at the top of that list; moreover, it does it objectively and realistically, and with a sensibility and sensitivity that makes it a truly great film by anyone's measuring stick. And to add some irony to it all, even the subject matter of this film has been widely misunderstood, as it is wrongly perceived that this is a film about the pros and cons of the death penalty; it is not. At the heart of "Dead Man Walking," directed by Tim Robbins, is a subject that in reality is possibly the most misunderstood of all, and with good reason, because it just may be the hardest thing there is for a human being to really-- and truly-- understand. And it is what this film is actually all about: Forgiveness. Real forgiveness; not excusing a heinous crime or the perpetrator thereof-- not saying that what's happened is okay-- but finding the strength to go on, and to do so by choosing life. Director/screenwriter Tim Robbins has crafted and delivered a faithful adaptation of the novel by Sister Helen Prejean, in which she discusses her involvement with the death-row inmates to whom over the years she has ministered her faith in God. As chronicled in the film, what for her was to become a lifelong pursuit of not only justice, but human dignity, began with a simple letter from a death-row inmate at the Louisiana State Prison at Angola. Sentenced to death for rape and murder, Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) was reaching out to anyone who would listen, when his letter ended up in the hands of Sister Prejean (Susan Sarandon), who soon found herself venturing into a territory of which she had absolutely no knowledge or experience. And Robbins has successfully captured Sister Prejean's emotional and turbulent journey succinctly, while managing to keep it devoid of any maudlin sentimentality, which makes it not only real, credible and believable, but makes it a poignant and thoroughly emotionally involving experience for the audience. Through the medium of the cinema, what was once a personal, significant emotional experience for Sister Prejean, becomes one for everyone who sees this film, as well. For her soul-stirring, impassioned portrayal of Sister Prejean, Susan Sarandon deservedly won the Oscar for Best Actress. Sensitive and fraught with emotional depth, her performance is incredibly touching and real, especially in the way in which she conveys Sister Prejean's underlying natural fragility and vulnerability, which she adamantly tempered with the toughness she needed to carry on with her endeavors on behalf of Poncelet (and in reality, a total of five since she began). Whatever your point of view regarding the matters examined in this film, Sister Prejean is without question an individual of heroic proportions, which Sarandon exquisitely personifies here; and she does it without resorting to any superfluous melodramatics, but rather by keeping it real, by subtly and humbly exploring the humanity of the person in a very believable expression of characterization. It's an extraordinary performance, arguably the best of Sarandon's brilliant career. Turning in a career-best performance, as well, is Sean Penn, who was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Poncelet (he lost out to Nicolas Cage, who won for his performance in "Leaving Las Vegas). Perfect for the part in every way, Penn has quite simply never been better, before or since. He effectively presents Poncelet as a real person, rather than as an overblown caricature of a monster capable of perpetrating the crimes depicted here. Not that it makes Poncelet any less despicable; just the opposite, in fact. It makes it genuinely disconcerting to be faced with the fact that someone who looks like a guy who could live next door to you could be capable of such things. And that's the strength of Penn's performance-- it's so disturbingly real, presented with depth and nuance; you have but to look into his eyes to find the imperfections of a troubled soul. A terrific performance, and -- as good as Cage was in "Vegas"-- Penn should have received the Oscar for it. In another stand-out performance, Raymond J. Barry is memorable in a supporting role as Earl Delacroix, father of one of Poncelet's victims. With limited screen time, he nevertheless develops his character in such a way that enables you to empathize with him, as well as with Sister Prejean, as it is through him that we are given some insight into just how complex and seemingly tenuous her position is, at least on the surface. Barry presents Delacroix in such a way that gives the necessary balance and perspective to the story, which is ultimately extremely effective and helps to underscore the message of the film. The supporting cast includes R. Lee Emery (Clyde Percy), Celia Weston (Mary Beth Percy), Lois Smith (Helen's Mother), Scott Wilson (Chaplin Farley), Roberta Maxwell (Lucille Poncelet), Margo Martindale (Sister Colleen) and Jack Black (Craig Poncelet). It is doubtful that this film will change anyone's mind one way or another about the death penalty, but that was never the intention; what was intended, was to make a thought-provoking, emotionally involving film, which is exactly what Robbins has accomplished with "Dead Man Walking." Regardless of your personal point of view, this film will have an impact, and hopefully will open some minds to the true nature of forgiveness. For, as we see through the character of Earl Delacroix, true forgiveness is not something one merely decides to do, but is a task that can become a lifetime's work. And it's possibly one of the hardest things in life to effectively accomplish; and you come away from this film with an appreciation for individuals like Sister Prejean, who has selflessly dedicated her life to helping those in need, and to filmmakers like Robbins and Sarandon for bringing her to life for millions of people who otherwise would never have known her.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Good movie...
Review: This is a good movie, based on a true story of a nun who helpes a guy on death row, giving him all the support she can - whether it's legal or moral - until he is executed. Even though Helen Prejean's original book is against capital punishment, this movie tries to show all sides of an execution. There are the obvioius ones: the murderer, the families of the victims and the suffering of the victims themselves. But we also get to see some other sides: the reactions of the people working in the jail such as the jailers and the jail's minister, and what the family of the murderer is going through. There are 2 major faults in this movie: one is that even though the movie is trying to be objective but it is obviously against the capital punishment, like the novel it is based on. The second fault is that we get only very vague impressions about Helen's life - they are too vague, and not only do they not contribute to the movie, they only left me with more confused than before. But a great cast, and a good commentary by Tim Robbins make up for these faluts.
Rating: 
Summary: Message Backfires
Review: The movie is well directed and acted and is very emotional. But with movies like this, it all comes down to the message, i.e. death penalty pro vs. con. While not overly didactic, it is definitely against the death penalty. I am also against the death penalty and I wanted to like the film but the film's arguments have a major flaw. In the first half, director (and consummate lefty) Tim Robbins touches on most of the major facts that you may or may not know about the death penalty. He presents the inherent and unavoidable imperfections in the justice system like the uneven quality of defense lawyers and resources, the influence of politics (elections, race quotas), etc. But in the second half, he leaves most of that behind in favor of emotional arguments. From the stand point of character and plot development, this may be understandable but it weakens the arguments. As the murderer approaches his date with destiny, he undergoes a transformation from despicable and remorseless criminal to finding love (and religion), taking responsibility, expressing regret and penance towards his victims and their families, etc. (with the help of a saintly nun) and Robbins is also careful to reveal his pitiable origins and circumstances (fate is cruel). I think Robbins' point is that even the most heartless killers have humanity and therefore it is not right to execute them (sob! don't kill Sean Penn, he said that he was sorry!). But here is the major paradox. Penn's character becomes human and sympathetic but only in the face of his imminent execution. In other words, to follow the religious themes in the movie, THE DEATH PENALTY WAS HIS VEHICLE OF REDEMPTION. I came away with the weird feeling that the death penalty had worked out well and saved an otherwise worthless human being. This is not the feeling we should be presenting. Stick to the legal and logical arguments that undermine the idea of the death penalty as proper justice. Poncelet's (Penn's character) equally wretched and guilty accomplice avoided the death penalty solely because his family could afford a better defense attorney. The film brings this up but it is not a central plot. But that is what stuck with me the most. That is an injustice and proof of the reason that the criminal justice system should not have the right to kill. Make a film about that if you want to make people really think.
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