On E List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
The Executioner's Song (1982)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
3/21
3/21:
I have now seen the best acting job of Tommy Lee Jones' career.
Because The Executioner's Song was a telefilm, it wasn't eligible for Academy Awards. Therefore, as a
consolation, Tommy Lee Jones had to settle for an Emmy win. Had the picture been theatrically released, he would get the Oscar
for Best Actor. Forget The Fugitive; that was a silly win.
Turning in a strong performance is Rosanna Arquette as his character's prurient girlfriend. Christine Lahti, Eli Wallach,
and Grace Zabriskie are also good. Heightened by Waylon Jennings' music and Freddie Francis' cinematography, the
stark realism is duly noted by the ending which is reminiscent of the hanging scene in
In Cold Blood. But this time, it's done by a firing squad.
Although based on a true story that's penned by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer, the film version
doesn't fully explore Gary Gilmore's life, only to focus on what happened from getting
out of prison after twelve years to the murder of two men that saw him receive the death penalty. He subsequently
became the first death row inmate to be executed after a ten-year federal moratorium, having strongly insisted on it.
Honestly, the actual guy looks a lot closer to Martin Sheen than Tommy Lee Jones. However, the latter can
play the heck out of the role better. It's due to Tommy Lee Jones' charm which worked wonders on everybody who came
his way, hence the strong contention for an Oscar win. Behind his façade is the manipulation that's of the
criminal kind, making Gary Gilmore a selfish individual. Here's a fun fact: the origin of Nike's slogan "Just Do It"
was came from his last words: "Let's do it."
All in all, you won't see a better performance by Tommy Lee Jones than The Executioner's Song.