Dead Man Walking Reviews

• Of monsters, murder and divine mercy.

  
  By A3D6TFYRMIV3ZL on 2003-02-03
  "Sister, I won't ask for forgiveness; my sins are all I have," sings Bruce Springsteen in this movie's title song while the end credits roll over the screen - giving voice once more to Matthew Poncelet and the men portrayed in Sister Helen Prejean's nonfiction account on which this movie is based; that angry "white trash," those men who are "God's mistake," as one victim's father says, inconsolable over the loss of his daughter; those men locked up in high security prisons for unspeakable crimes which many of them claim they didn't commit. And Matt Poncelet (Sean Penn) is just such a guy; locked in bravado and denial, he proclaims his innocence and would rather take a lie detector test on the day of his execution "so my momma knows I didn't do this" than own up to his responsibility.

  With Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon), we first learn about the crime which landed Poncelet on death row - the rape-murder of a couple on lovers' lane - from the account she receives when she starts writing to him and eventually agrees to visit him in prison. It is, as she will soon learn, a story that anti-death penalty advocates are all too familiar with; a story of unequal access to lawyers and of two defendants, each blaming all guilt for their crime exclusively on the other, regardless what truly happened. And as long as she is assured that even if Poncelet would have a new trial he wouldn't go free (as an accomplice, under Louisiana state law he would receive a lifetime prison sentence), Sister Helen is willing to help him find a lawyer and, when the date for his execution is set, try to obtain a reprieve.

  But it does not end there, as she soon finds out; and one of this movie's greatest strengths is the way in which it portrays all sides of the moral issues involved in the death penalty. There are the victims' families, a stunning 70% of which break up after the murder of a child, and who are forever stuck with the unloving last words spoken to their loved ones and the memory of all the little homely details reminding them of their loss. There are the prison guards and nurses, trying to see executions as "part of their job" - with varying success. There are the politicians, barking slogans on TV; promising to "get tough on sentencing, get tough on lenient parole boards, get tough on judges who pass light sentences." There are the convicts' families, marginalized as a result of their brothers' and sons' acts, particularly if they refuse to condemn them publicly. ("Now I'm famous," Poncelet's mother comments bitterly on the dubious celebrity status she has attained as a result of a TV show about Matt. "A regular Ma Barker!") And there is the death penalty itself, shown in all its chilling, graphic, clinical detail, here in its allegedly most humane form: lethal injections, which tranquilize the muscles while the poison reaches the convict's lungs and heart - "his face goes to sleep while his inside organs are going through Armageddon," Poncelet's attorney says at his pardon board hearing. "It was important to us to show all sides of the issue," explains director Tim Robbins on the DVD's commentary track, "not to be satisfied with soundbites, and to present the reality ... Ultimately, the question is not who deserves to die, but who has the right to kill."

  At the heart of the story are two radically different individuals: Sister Helen, who has grown up in an affluent, loving family; and Matthew Poncelet, the convicted killer. And their portrayal is this movie's other great strength: without either of them, this film would not have been half as compelling. Both Sarandon and Penn deliver Academy Award-worthy performances. (Sarandon did win her long overdue Oscar, Penn lost to Nicolas Cage for "Leaving Las Vegas" - this would have been an occasion where I would have favored a split award.) Gradually, very gradually we see them get to know each other; and as they do, the visual layers separating them in the prison visiting room are peeled away. Yet, even after he has learned to accept Sister Helen as a human being (not without attempting to come on to her as if she were not a nun - director Tim Robbins's way of dispelling the notion that they might fall in love, as is so often the case in the more cliched versions of this type of story), Poncelet insists that his participation was limited to holding one of the victims down, but that it was his accomplice who raped and killed them both. And even days before his execution, he is still looking for "loopholes" in the bible, as Sister Helen admonishes him, seeing redemption as a free ticket into heaven instead of a means of owning up to his responsibility. ("I like that," he comments when she quotes Jesus's "the truth shall make you free." "So I pass that lie detector test, I'm home free.") Only in his final hour, he slowly, gradually gives up the protective layers of his bravado and lays bare his raw nerve and innermost anguish. And while he speaks, finally, in a complete flashback, we, the viewers, see what really happened that dark and lonely night in the woods, and what all the previous partial flashbacks have not revealed.

  "It is easy to kill a monster, but hard to kill a human being," Poncelet's attorney once explains; and Tim Robbins echoes that sentiment on the commentary track. Yet, this movie is not about romanticizing a brutal killer, any more than it is about demonizing his victims. It is, first and foremost, an attempt to bring a complete perspective to one of contemporary America's most pressing problems, and to find a way past sorrow and hate and move towards the future. And even if you're still for the death penalty after having watched it - don't claim ignorance as to what is involved.
  
  

• Capital issue

  
  By ACYTCGZWKTF93 on 2005-02-04
  Countries, people and ideologies world over have forever debated upon the justifiability of capital punishment. Many arguments and counterarguments later an average person still forms his impression based upon some or the other personal experience. Someone who has no strong religious belief or who has not suffered -directly or indirectly- from any criminal act would arguably find herself in a dilemma as to which side to take.
  
  `Dead Man Walking' gives the audience an unbiased insight into the social issue of capital punishment. A subtly crafted script, brilliant performances by Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon and a delicate portrayal of events that lead to the execution of Sean Penn - for a brutal double crime of raping and killing - and most compellingly, the act of execution itself - gives the audience a first-hand exposure to the trauma experienced by those involved.
  
  It is indeed a very fine line. To kill or not to kill - that is the question. Why and who kills - is not the echoing thought you are left with. Instead you are haunted by the question - is it right to end a life regardless of who, when, why, how? Sean Penn's last words suggest otherwise. He has lived in a state of denial while not confessing, and probably in his self-delusion convincing himself that he too was a victim of a bigger act of serendipity. Eventually, he breaks down in an uneventful moment and accepts his crime before Susan Sarandon - the nun who has done everything she could to give him a fair chance. He subsequently apologizes to the parents of the victims just before his execution. In an enthralling climatic episode, the scenes of the brutal and shameless crime are brilliantly juxtaposed to the sophisticated act of execution. The breathtaking cathartic moments of this episode leave the audience with the big question - is taking a life right? Regardless of who does it.
  
  A must watch movie that leaves us with an issue to ponder over.
  
  

• An emotionally charged masterpiece

  
  By on 1999-09-17
  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.
  
  

• what amazing performances

  
  By AHZ3OEGNJ00AW on 2005-02-10
  Both Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon give the performance of their lives. This is such an emotional film and the story behind it is amazing. Tim Robbins' direction is spot on. Was thoroughly entranced from beginning to end. Although the story deals with death row and the death penalty, both highly explosive subjects, I was able to detach myself because of the actors' performances. Strongly recommended.
  
  

• YOU WILL NEVER FORGET THIS FILM

  
  By A3HETHW2XD3DWH on 2000-01-04
  Table all pre-conceived notions of whether Capital Punishment is wrong or right. Set aside your personal opinions on how society views convicted killers. DEAD MAN WALKING examines all sides of the coin, from the eyes of the victims, their families, the legal system, religious counselors and finally the convict himself.

  Sean Penn is almost scary in his portrayal of Matthew Poncellet. With convincing facial expressions, voice and demeanor, Penn nails every scathing, miserable characteristic of a "white trash" criminal with no remorse for his chosen way of life and his lack of respect for everything and everyone in his world. By the film's end, your heart can't help but bleed for him in is agony, but what a pity it took the tragedy of murder to bring him to his knees.

  Susan Sarandon perfectly portrays a kind and gentle Sr. Helen Prejean (who makes a cameo appearance in the film at a candlelight demonstration outside the prison).

  WARNING: This movie is very painful to watch, and certain scenes of violence, aside from the final execution by lethal injection, may disturb the faint-hearted.
  
  

• "THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME"
  By A1L8HRCM60W0W7 on 2005-01-28
  That's the penitent outcry of a hard-boiled criminal awaiting the chair.
  
  No mean feat to make such a heartfelt film on a sensitive subject (capital punishment, with religious undertones) without being preachy or lopsided. I can think of several movies that have reached for similar heights (Life of David Gale, Rampage, Vigilante) but Dead Man Walking is probably the only one that pulls it off with so much sanity and compassion.
  
  Our protagonist (Sean Penn in probably the role of his life, other than Mystic River) is on his final leg on death row for an allegedly racially-instigated rape and murder of a young woman and her boyfriend. Sister Helen (Sarandon) is a nun called upon to console and befriend the man in hopes to evoke remorse for his dastardly act, and hence redemption according to the Catholic faith.
  
  Doing thus, she soon becomes the viewers' eyes; we see events as she experiences them, facts revealed as she discovers them. She visits not only the callous inmate but also his victims' families. Interacting with them takes her into their world, which she finds is seething with anger.
  
  We understand this of course given the gravity of the crime, but this is where the script excels, it's not a strident, single-minded indictment of a murderer. The raped girl's family are a loving folk yet viciously spiteful of the rapist, with a near-maniacal thirst for revenge. At one point, the father shrieks, "I could kill the beast with my own bare hands." Lines blur here about who the "beast" is.
  
  Sarandon and Penn won their deserved accolades but the true winner here is the story for showing us the harrowing realities of executions. The dialogue is subtly witty and has interesting takes on big issues. At one stage, a prison guard says to a nun, "You know what the bible says, an eye for an eye". The nun says, " You know what else the Bible ask for death as a punishment? For adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, trespass upon sacred grounds, profane in a sabbath and contempt to parents." An educated nun with an open mind. Truly refreshing.
  
  The film is unequivocal in its position on the death penalty (against it), but never forces it. Pro-death penalty folks will hardly change their mind after this film, but it won't drive them screaming from the theater either. It may not be for everyone, but it has its heart and head in the right place.
  
  Very, very moving, thought-provoking stuff. A copy of this DVD belongs in every sensible library.
  
  
• A Heartwrenching Exploration of the Death Penalty
  By A2GYX971VETQBV on 2005-10-27
  DEAD MAN WALKING is one of the most powerful films I have seen in a long time. In terms of pure "guts," this film takes the cake. Watching it just makes me wonder why Tim Robbins doesn't step up to the director's plate more often. This film is a testament to good filmmaking: great technique, beautiful shots, outstanding performances, and the avoidance of cliché. DEAD MAN WALKING, as its name suggests, tells the moving story of Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon), a nun who winds up responding to an inmate's (Sean Penn) cry for help and soon finds herself in over her head. What follows is an emotional journey: an exploration of the death penalty that refuses (at every turn) to drop into ideology and formula.
  
  And let me tell you why. Most films that deal with the philosophy behind the death penalty tend to "choose sides." On the one hand, the state is depicted as a fickle body that mercilessly puts innocent men to die, while the victim's families stand around and revel in watching the convicted man fry. DEAD MAN WALKING has its share of politics and angry victims, but the victims are fleshed out, given back story, and deliver a deep emotional impact on the film. On the other hand, the death penalty can be handled by as a necessary arm of justice, allowing us all to breathe easy at night knowing that one more killer is off the streets. But DEAD MAN WALKING refuses to take up this line either. Instead, the film becomes a well-balanced exploration of the issues surrounding crime and punishment. In the end, the film evolves into an exploration of the possibility of redemption, quite apart from any issues concerning justice.
  
  Not enough can be said about Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Their performances are simply stunning. Sarandon plays a real nun, rather than the cardboard figure portraits of the clergy I am used to seeing in a film. Her performance breathes and her journey allows the audience to follow her path, providing us with an emotional trajectory. Sean Penn, once again, proves that he is pretty much the best actor working right now. His performance is incredible. As in most of his recent roles, you forget you're watching Penn: the character comes through. In particular, the last twenty minutes of the film are incredibly heart-wrenching. You just have to see the film to understand.
  
  DEAD MAN WALKING is a fine film and one that I don't hesitate to give five stars. I will soon be adding it to my DVD collection. I hope you will be too.
  
  
• A film with superb performances, but I honestly don't see the "balance" that many others have seen.
  By A2460ZRFVC2YGV on 2005-10-28
  I first saw "Dead Man Walking" on television several years ago, and I didn't like it very much at all. I recently re-watched it because a friend of mine had expressed an interest in seeing it and because I have been doing sort of an informal study of redemption in the arts.
  I disagree with those who say that Dead Man Walking presents an objective view. Just look who is in front of and behind the camera: Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Sean Penn- three of the Poster-People of the Hollywood Far-Left. The focus of the film is clearly Sister Helen Prejean, (the film is based upon her book of the same name.) Indeed, the best part about "Dead Man Walking" is watching her wander quite unwittingly into a storm of hate and all-consuming sadness when she started out merely wanting to give a dying man some comfort in his final days, regardless of the means and motive of his death.
  Still, because she is so obviously against Matthew Poncelet's execution she can definitely not be considered a neutral party.
  
  It is certainly true that the victim's families are given a powerful voice, especially that of Clyde Percy, played with seething perfection by R. Lee Ermey.
  
  While Sean Penn's performance, (like most of his work) is brilliant, I can say unequivocally that Matthew Poncelet remains a thoroughly dislikable human-being to the very end, he only disavows his Nazi beliefs when it becomes clear that they are a contributing factor to his execution. Worse, his belated confession of already well-established guilt is the very definition of "too little, too late", this is only compounded when he says "I think killin' is wrong, whether it's me or y'all, or the government that's doin' it." He follows that astoundingly hypocritical statement with an address to the victims, "I hope my death brings you some peace." Doesn't anyone remember that he is simply repeating Prejean's words, and that those words were prompted by Pocelet's defiant declaration that he "had a few words for Clyde Percy". Worse still is the presentation of the execution itself, the images of Poncelet's death are juxtaposed with images of his crime, which I am assuming (given the rest of the film, and the POVs of its creators) is meant to suggest some sort of perverse similarity between the two. It had the opposite effect on me, seeing those two events set side-by-side convinced me beyond doubt that the right course was taken. I really believe that if rape and double-murder, and a separate rape and attempted double-murder do not make you deserving of the death penalty then nothing will.
  
  
  
  
• Life changing
  By AL5OEDM8TPTKV on 2000-06-25
  Prior to viewing this film, I was a staunch supporter of the death penalty. I truly believed that if someone committed such a heinous crime as taking the life of another person, then they deserved to die.

  What "Dead Man Walking" did for me was never challenge that belief, or try to dissuade me through debate. What it did was present one of the most well-rounded, emotional films that asked the questions I never asked myself when considering this punishment.

  I was very leary of seeing this film because I didn't want to sit through two hours of being preached at by a one-sided liberal point of view. What ended up happening was because Sister Helen Prejean struggled with everything herself, I began to struggle too. Because she had the courage to deal both with this hideous, racist criminal and the victims understandable embittered families, I began to deal with them too. After watching this film, I began to doubt my own stance, finally recognizing that death for death is no just punishment.

  That's not to say you will reach such a conclusion. The movie doesn't suggest anything of the sort. What the movie does is present to us the confusing array of pieces, and we, as individuals, and as a society, need to construct the puzzle as we see. But we must not hide from the hard facts of executions, we must not anesthesize ourselves to the horror of what we inflict on these prisoners. The movies suggests that we see the entire picture before making our own judgment calls.

  The performances of Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn are some of the best I've seen in any film recently. Both deserved all the accolades, as well as Tim Robibns for crafting such a picture. For a two hour movie to explore such complicated ideas as death and faith is quite an amazing feat.
  
  

• Only film in my 40+yrs to ENRAGE me
  By A2YBR55NWMNO7X on 2001-06-07
  I have never felt so ANGRY about seeing a movie. That nun held his hand, said "Goodbye" and he had the chance to say his "Goodbye's". I say, What a nice way to go because his victims didn't have such opportunities. Now he will never escape, be paroled, or God forbid freed only to reoffend. The actors, the story, the filming itself was well done. It must have been good to elicit such strong emotion from me. This is no feel good movie though & I'll gladly never see this one again. I only wish I could forget it.
  
  
• Intense and gripping!
  By A2198FZZMTJ38H on 2001-03-18
  "Dead Man Walking" tells the true story of one Sister Helen Prejean, a uniquely compassionate nun who goes on an emotionally taxing journey with a man who, after being on Death Row for six years, is scheduled to die within a week of their first meeting. What she will encounter on this journey will be an experience unlike anything she has ever encountered, as she must try to bring him to the realization that he must atone for his crimes in order to receive God's salvation.

  This is, without a doubt, one of the best films of 1995, as well as any year. The film has courage and strength, as well as portraying both of these qualities in its characters, who are given room and time to develop the story on their own terms. It inspires feelings about so many different issues on many complex levels, while never really taking a side on any of these issues. The movie is what you make it out to be: is he a guilty man? Does he only want redemption because of his impending death? Or has he truly changed?

  The movie takes its time in allowing us to decide this, beginning with Sister Helen's life among the people she teaches in a black neighborhood, where she lives. From the beginning, we know that she is not a prejudice person, nor does she allow her religious beliefs to get in the way of helping people, which is evident in her action of responding to a letter from a Death Row convict named Matthew Poncelet, whose crimes include rape and murder. As she begins having meetings with him, she only feels that she is doing what her calling requires: helping those who would seek salvation in their quest to find it.

  She gets more than she bargained for by meeting Poncelet, whose mustache and goatee, sleek hair and tattoos, and objective language practically scream the word "criminal." During their first meetings, the audience will practically feel the tension between the two characters, especially as Poncelet begins using his foul terms in the presence of Prejean, who never flinches but is noticeably uncomfortable with his language. But she presses on, first diving into his political views, but then realizing that in order for her to be able to get through this without falling apart, she will need to focus on getting him to confess his part in the crime and take responsibility for his sins.

  This is done with some of the most powerful acting performances I've ever seen in a film. Susan Sarandon is totally convincing as Sister Helen, who is portrayed as timid on the outside but posesses a strong will and determination to accomplish what she has sought out to do. Her kind nature and caring heart are the perfect contrast for Sean Penn, who brings a terrific balance of contempt and sorrow to the character of Poncelet. This is one of his best performances ever, portraying the convict as cold and heartless in the face of his crimes, but once alone with Sister Helen, he has no where to hide.

  The movie also dives into an even more emotional turmoil: the impact that a murder has on the families of the victims and the criminals. Sister Helen visits both the family of Poncelet, and the families of the murder victims, all of whom feel intense emotion and sadness over the crimes. Poncelet's mother feels a strong sense of sadness over the situation her son has gotten himself into, blaming it on the influence his older friend had on him. The parents of the murder victims, who are at first contemptuous of Sister Helen, tell their side of the story in such a way that Sister Helen, as well as the audience, becomes torn not over who to believe, but who to feel more sympathy for. It becomes a tug-of-war of sorts, where in one instance we feel remorse for one side, then the other, but very rarely both. It focuses so much on one point at a time that we forget about everything else but the conversation going on at present.

  The movie also has a lot to say about how we as a society act in terms of different beliefs about capital punishment. The entire plot of the movie centers around the countdown to Poncelet's death, with the victims' parents and their supporters crying out for the death penalty, while Sister Helen and Poncelet's lawyer try desperately to stop it from happening in hopes that she may be able to turn his life around. I felt such a sense of mortal disgust at the final sequences of the film, during the scene of the execution, in which the victims' parents and others gather to converse before watching Poncelet's execution. The movie builds up so emotion before this final scene that one cannot help but feel some contempt for those who would even wish to see such an event take place. However you may take it, the issues the movie touches will inspire some sort of feeling inside, and you cannot help but look at what you feel for the issues at hand.

  A very simple story with complex emotions and compelling characters, "Dead Man Walking" is a film that will touch the hearts of all who see it, religious and non-religious alike. The story never stutters in its portrayal of a hardened man's journey down the path of redemption, and the one woman who stood by his side through it all. This is as good as movies get, and not much better than this, either.
  
  

• Winning movie in which all lose...
  By A3ADK3ZTJ87915 on 2003-05-06
  It is rare for a movie to portray without attempt to sway, to take on a heavyweight topic without melodrama, to delve into religion without preaching, to handle a matter of political explosiveness without being didactic. Dead Man Walking is that kind of rare.

  Susan Sarandon, portraying Sister Helen Prejean, and Sean Penn, portraying the killer rapist whose spiritual guidance she takes into her hands, both give truly remarkable performances in this award-winning movie based on fact. Called to give succor to this unrepentant criminal on death row, Sarandon brings to life a nun's struggle to be a true Christian - that is, to reach out to the lowest of the low, the soul so dark it may be beyond anyone's reach or compassion but God's. Penn is utterly convincing in his role, bringing to the screen the damaged ugliness of a murderer's evil heart, as well as his final moments of anguish that finally allow real feeling to surface. Sarandon won an Oscar for her performance; both deserved the honor.

  Capital punishment is (and should be) debated by many. Dead Man Walking masterfully shows all sides of a many-sided issue. There is no right, there is no wrong in this movie. But there is also no looking away. The crime that led to the criminal's execution is horrible beyond description, but it is effectively and powerfully revealed, image by image, torment by torment, throughout the entire movie. No one wins in this movie, all lose. All suffer, and it is impossible to say whose suffering is the greatest. All mothers here suffer a daily excruciation, whether she is the mother of a killer or the mother of a murdered child. Can anyone say whose suffering is greater? Hatred and forgiveness are poignantly shown, and both can be understood, neither of these emotions are out of place.

  Director Tom Robbins has allowed his viewer to be one of intelligence. He forces no perspective, he makes no judgement. He allows the viewer to see, to feel for all or for no one, and perhaps to know nothing more than the hopelessness of a situation where so many lives are affected, damaged forever. Who deserves what-is not the most important issue tackled. But if one question alone is raised, it is this: does anyone, one man or an entire government, have the right to kill? On whatever side, or no side, the viewer's opinion falls, the movie is no less powerful from any perspective.
  
  

• Overrated
  By A3R339V9KN1W9H on 2001-03-16
  Very overrated. I just cannot like movies with such poor fakeaccents. Once again, instead of hopelessly trying to imitate Southerndialects, most actors should just use their everyday accents. It'sok. We understand if you can't speak like us. But please don'tinsult us by trying. Sean Penn's attempt is the worst I've seen sinceTravolta in "The General's Daughter". I could barely understanda single word he said. He just didn't seem to put a lot of effortinto role.

  All in all, this movie is anti-death penalty propaganda.They pathetically try to convince us to feel sorry for a murderer andrapist. It doesn't work. I actually WANTED him dead before the moviewas halfway.

  And once again, in yet another insult to humanintelligence, Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) is even morefoolish than the portrayal of innocence is supposed to make usbelieve. Every other scene, I felt like screaming at her for puttingall her faith in a cold-blooded killer while turning her back on thevictims' families.

  Other than getting my blood boiling, this moviedid little else for me.
  
  

• Ever cried because a murderer would die? You will.
  By A30DWPM6HYVFYK on 2002-07-15
  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.
  
  
• ooooooooohhhhhhhh boring
  By on 2004-05-07
  I saw this movie in my English class as we discussed the pro and con of Capital Punishment. I would never have watched this by myself and I have to say, I wish I hadn't. It is not that I think that the movie is too didactic, I simply don't like films in which the director and the actors obviously try to stimulate certain emotions. I watched the movie thinking: Now I should feel sad, now I should feel sorry, now I should hate Matt... But I didn't really feel one of these feelings at all! the movie is just so artificial, everything seems to be a cliché, nothing is new or interesting, although the director tried to produce tension, I was bored many times. You could say that I am cold and that I do not allow the movie to touch me but I am not against emotional movies at all. If you want to watch a movie bout the death penalty, watch the Green Mile. If you want a movie that is moving and brillant at the same time, watch "the Rainman" (my favourite "sad" movie), but you really don't have to see "dead Man walking".
  c. freitag
  
  
• capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  By A345WVAVMMO6F0 on 2006-05-04
  capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  
  
  furthermore: capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  
  
  moreover: capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  
  i reiterate: capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  
  and in conclusion: capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  
  respectfully submitted,
  fletcher
  
  p.s. capital punishment bad! compassionate nun good! yawn.
  
  
  
• Terrible...I can't believe people love this movie!!
  By on 1999-03-26
  Why a lot more people supporting the criminal side than the victims? Why? The nun's view toward execution makes me feel sicked.This movie appeals sympathy for the criminal who doesn't deserve anything but death.It hurts me that people admire such a movie.
  
  
• Dead On
  By A35K84RT618N3A on 1999-12-24
  Buoyed by two memorable performances, Dead Man Walking is the charged narrative of a convicted killer brought to redemption by a selfless nun. It manages to bring to the screen one of the most original polemics on capital punishment ever. Director Tim Robbins gives us an emotionally complex look at the human ugliness on all sides of the issue. Written and acted with a rare honesty, Dead Man Walking challenges our all-consuming desire for revenge in the face of savagery.

  The genius of Dead Man Walking is how it humanizes those we deem monsters yet completely condemns the acts of violence that got them there. For this reason this alone it's bound to raise the ire of some; it's far more easy to see a murderer as alien rather admit our own culpability in his creation.
  
  

• I was sobbing through the end...
  By A3C02OLOT9QF0L on 2001-07-12
  This movie really made me think. Before watching it, I was strongly opposed to the death penalty. Afterward, my opposition was stronger than ever.

  "Dead Man Walking" examines all points of view, and gives a good picture of the death penalty from all sides. This movie is neither for nor against the death penalty, it gives you everyone's point of view, from religous people, to the victims' families, to the criminal himself.

  Toward the end, I could not help but sob. I thought that The Green Mile would be the most emotional film I would ever see in regards to the death penalty, but I was wrong. This film was indeed more dramatic. It made me feel even stronger about my beliefs on the subject, and showed the whole picture.

  I am going to buy the book, and get the nonfiction account that this movie was based on!
  
  

• Message Backfires
  By A3F0O4Y8BXOORR on 2001-07-27
  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.
  
  

• Emotionally Involving Drama from Tim Robbins
  By A1J2931UBBJPXM on 2001-11-19
  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.
  
  

• Sensitive drama devoid of cheap shots
  By A3LYG1OCUG2OW5 on 2002-12-19
  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.
  
  
• Live Man Cheering
  By ANK68QCUYUVVX on 2003-03-30
  I'm confused...

  Was the point of this movie to make me feel sorry for a ruthless, remorseless rapist/murderer/junkie/racist? Oh yeah, he sure remorsed an hour before his execution. Don't they all. If that was the point of the movie, they failed miserably.

  However, I give it five stars on the faint hope that the aim of the movie was to reinforce my support for the death penalty. Because if so, the film did a tremendous job. The more I heard from the victims' families, the more I wanted to pull the switch myself. The more I heard the murderer/rapist try to shift responsibility of his crime onto anyone he could, the slower I wanted to clock to tick as to draw out the impending doom. And the more they showed the crime in progress, the more I regret that we don't put criminals in iron maidens anymore.

  As for the murderer's "repentance", I didn't buy it one bit. He had his whole life to get religious, he didn't have to wait until he felt the needle sinking in his forearm. And of course, anyone who agrees with the death penalty in the movie (victims' parents, prison guards, elected representatives, even priests) are made out to be terrible, backwards people. Neither the Robbins family cameos nor Eddie Vedder's dying-cat moaning could sway me to believe this rapist creep got anything less than full and complete justice.

  So congrats, Susan. You've cemented the convictions of millions of death penalty supporters.
  
  

• Is the Dead Penalty a babaric act?
  By A18BNUCX7TKTUK on 2003-07-21
  The Dead penalty is a babaric act.
  In my humble opinion God is the only one that is allowed to give and to take live.
  The state killing a person, independent of how cruel he or she may be or may have been, is not God's Justice. It is the work of man that also can make mistakes.
  In my understanding innocent persons have been killed(This is not the case in the movie, but it happens in reality).
  People on death row are almost always black persons without money to hire a decent lawyer(With was mencioned in the film).
  A dangerous person you have to put in jail forever if this is necessary for the safety of society.
  This was also what i saw in the movie.
  It really touched me and made me cry.
  Of course the suffering of the victims is horrible and this was also shown realy good in the movie.
  I am a religous person and it is my conviction that one day all suffering will belong to the past and all souls will be saved.

  The movie makes you think and touches your hart.
  
  

• ROBBINS, SARANDON AT THEIR BEST
  By A3ODVVP9XO42L on 2004-06-08
  Tim Robbins made another "political" film." "Dead Man Walking" stayed on an even keel. Starring Sean Penn in a bravura performance as a murderer getting ready for his execution, it takes a surprisingly Catholic point of view, in which Susan Sarandon plays a nun who makes him take responsibility for his actions, ostensibly to save his soul. It could be interpreted as being against the death penalty, but this is actually a stretch. This film is a good example of how much talent Robbins has and how, when he avoids major Left wing politics, he produyces some real genius.

  STEVEN TRAVERS
  AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
  STWRITES@AOL.COM
  
  

• The best movie I have ever seen
  By A9C1CALVJMNA0 on 2000-01-25
  I thought this was a great movie when I had seen it in the theaters when it first came out but after having seen it again on video I have to say this movie now replaces Goodfellas as my favorite movie of all time. Susan Sarandon was an easy choice for best actress and Sean Penn should have won best actor - he is as good as there is in this type of role. The entire supporting cast was brilliant as well, so much so that you'll sometimes forget you're actually watching a movie and not a documentary. Beautiful Louisiana scenery. Great, perfectly fitting music by Bruce Springsteen. Superbly scripted. This movie can make you laugh and cry at the same time. It was also nice that a major motion picture finally portrayed a religious figure (a nun) in a positive light. I cannot even think of a single flaw this movie had. If I had to write this movie myself , I don't know if I would change a thing.
  
  
• No big deal
  By on 2000-01-27
  Because it's about death penalty, nun and savagery, it MUST make you think and it MUST be an intelligent movie ? No way. Both characters are hateful and very badly defined (you don't actually know why the nun fancies Penn so much and vice versa). Since the beginning of the movie, Sarandon's character does nothing but laugh at all that Penn says while crying buckets in front of the victims' parents. The ending is 300% American in its exaggeration.
  
  
• A movie without easy answers or bumper-sticker philosophies
  By A3DE1IYJGU5HPW on 2001-02-26
  Dead Man Walking is a rare gem of a movie. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, three-time Nobel Prize nominee and noted death penalty activist, the movie follows Sister Helen's spiritual, philosophical, and emotional journey as she acts as a spiritual advisor to a prisoner on Louisiana's Death Row.

  The film opens with Prejean accepting the position, not knowing what to expect, and continues with her harrowing personal journey as she meets the prisoner she has been corresponding with, the families of the prisoner's victims, and the lawmen involved both in his arrest and his incarceration.

  Dead Man Walking isn't simple bleeding-heart propaganda, and truly shines because the film - like Prejean's wonderful book - refuses to take the easy way out. Writer/director Tim Robbin's script gives equal time to both sides of this divisive issue, and trivializes neither by compacting tense, emotions into sound bites and bumper-sticker philosophy, which is what happens all too frequently in movies that pretend to be "deep" and "meaningful."

  Deciding where one stands on any philosophical and ethical issue is never an easy decision, and Dead Man Walking takes that path of discovery and truly gives it its fair due. The film leaves the viewer with more questions than answers, but does take a rather anti-capital punishment stance towards the end, as the main character begins to from her opinions.

  Dead Man Walking is as fine a piece of filmmaking as anyone can ask, with excellent preformances all around (Sarandon won a Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Prejean). The death penalty is not a simple issue, since it taps into some of our rawest emotions; it is one thing to sit in a classroom and debate, or form an "ethic" based upon reading a book, and quite another to face the person that raped and killed your daughter or son, mother or father, brother or sister. This film is complicated enough to wrestle with that issue and come out as a shining example of the level of thought that can go into one production.

  People expecting easy answers, propaganda, or re-affirmation of their point of view shouldn't watch. Those who are interested in a layered piece of human experienced universalized, Dead Man Walking is highly recommended.
  
  

• Compelling & well done
  By A1VQHP8ZEGTQEZ on 2002-01-10
  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.
  
  
• An Outstanding Movie With Stirring Performances
  By A1QDQT0ZAAZHQS on 2003-01-17
  Regardless of your stance on the death penalty, this remains a difficult movie to watch, and perhaps that's exactly what makes Dead Man Walking a great movie.

  The movie centers around a nun named Sister Helen Prejean (played by Susan Sarandon) who befriends a convicted murderer and rapist named Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) who is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in the State of Louisiana. Poncelet first seeks Sister Helen's help in filing his appeal and obtaining legal representation. She is at his side through all the legal proceedings, and once Poncelet's chances for clemency are exhausted, she then helps him prepare for the execution by giving him spiritual guidance. Sister Helen must also try and allay the hurt and betrayal felt by the parents of the children that Poncelet was convicted of murdering.

  This movie's greatest strength is the tremendous performances by Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Both were given Academy Award nominations for their roles, and Sarandon actually won the Oscar for Best Actress. I would have given this movie a 5 star rating, but I wasn't completely satisfied with the way in which the friendship between Sister Helen and Matthew Poncelet developed. In movies where two people from opposite walks of life come together for a given purpose, both usually walk away a little wiser and with a broader perspective. Sean Penn's character showed these changes, but Susan Sarandon's character was the same at the end of the movie as it was at the beginning. According to this movie, Sister Helen had learned nothing valuable or life-altering from her friendship with Matthew Poncelet.

  When it first came out, this movie generated a great deal of public discussion about the death penalty. Those who support capital punishment believe that, in theory, there are certain crimes so heinous that those who commit them should be required to forfeit their life as restitution. This movie shows the huge difference between theory and reality. I think people might change their minds about capital punishment once they see that carrying out this theory requires strapping a guy onto a gurney, sticking a needle into his arm, and injecting him with lethal chemicals. I'll probably think about this movie for a long time to come, and it's entirely possible that it may sway my opinion on the death penalty.

  Regardless of your stance on this controversial subject, this movie is guaranteed entertainment, and a definite must-see!
  
  

• Mystic River (Widescreen Edition)
• I am Sam (New Line Platinum Series)
• Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States
• Philadelphia
• Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition)