On D List of Movie Reviews
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Dead Man Walking (1995)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
3/04, 5/14, 6/19, 8/23
5/14:
To keep things in perspective: if Dead Man Walking featured a trashy-looking death row inmate with bad skin and hair
who's about to be executed but asked for sympathy despite having been guilty of the heinous acts, would the film still be
watchable?
Of course not. We just don't care, and we want him dead. The sooner, the better. Just kill him already. That's the problem
I have with the film because of Sean Penn's appeal. Of course, it takes an acting reputation, James Dean hair, colorful fake
tattoos, and icy blue eyes to draw in the viewers and make them think it's a fascinating movie about a cool-looking guy
who happens to be on death row. That's the allure of Hollywood bullshit.
The religion stuff, which is clearly a heavy buffer, gets in the way too much for me to feel strongly either way. The winning
feature is the walkthrough of the death penalty phase which can be thought of as Execution 101. One missing element is the
killer's background information. If I knew the story, how he grew up, the shit he pulled, and all that, I'm sure it
won't be a surprise when it comes to why he ended up on death row.
I consider Dead Man Walking to be the best work Susan Sarandon, an overrated actress, has
ever done. She displays the perfect set of emotions and does it well at key moments. My favorite scene, although it's a
red herring, is when her character was stopped for speeding. I don't know why, but it's so random.
What the movie failed to accomplish is to drum up some worthless support against death penalty (but why?). The conversations
between Sister Helen Prejean and Matthew Poncelet are hollow just to pass the time. Ditto for her talks with the
victims' families which are typical and predictable in an "I don't know what to say" manner. One aspect I've always
found strikingly peculiar is the murderers receiving more attention than their victims.
All in all, Dead Man Walking has great performances but is rather an empty political statement about death
penalty.
6/19:
I saw Dead Man Walking again after reading Sister Helen Prejean's eponymous book which actually turned
out to be a total lie as evidenced by Dead Family Walking: The Bourque Family Story of Dead Man Walking and
most especially Victims of Dead Man Walking.
I'll say the movie captures 80% to 90% of Prejean's book but is 100% in spirit with several differences. Sean Penn's
character is a composite of two executed death row inmates and, by all accounts, bears an uncanny resemblance to one of them.
The actual names of those involved have been changed, and an electric chair is used instead of lethal injection. Oh yeah, the
speeding incident...although it's a memorable scene, it never happened but rather did during the filming of
Dead Man Walking.
It's rare that a movie will pay attention to the victims, so kudos to Tim Robbins for making them be a central part of the story.
Raymond Barry, R. Lee Ermey, and Celia Weston are outstanding for playing the parents of the slain teenagers. They're
exactly whom I imagined to be in the book, being the reason why people believe strongly in capital punishment.
What can I say about Susan Sarandon? I hate her, but she gives an excellent performance. It's by far the best of her
career, and she deserved the Oscar. Having bowled me over during the last thirty minutes, Sean Penn is also unforgettable, and it's
certainly one of his better performances. By the way, you can spot the real Sister Helen Prejean, with eyeglasses on, leading
the prayer during the candlelight vigil while a death row inmate is being executed.
All in all, Dead Man Walking is not about changing people's minds about capital punishment but rather offers a realistic,
neutral insight into how a death sentence is carried out at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
8/23:
Dead Man Walking is a superlative film of what it's like to be executed at a penitentiary.
I hate Susan Sarandon, but there's no argument from me that she won the Oscar for Best Actress. She deserved it. Sean Penn
is terrific as well; his soulless blue eyes go a long way. What a speech by Robert Prosky during the pardon board hearing.
It's direct.
Thanks to the editing job by Lisa Zeno Churgin and Ray Hubley, Dead Man Walking is a fast-paced, thought-provoking film,
but forget the book by Sister Helen Prejean which is 90% fictional, if not more. To find out the truth is to read the
following: Dead Family Walking: The Bourque Family Story of Dead Man Walking and Victims of Dead Man Walking.
All in all, Dead Man Walking is the best Louisianian movie made.