Powerful - Should Make You Think/Feel
Added 2/9/2009
Wow! I hadn't seen this in years but when the movie "Dead Man Walking" came out, I was confused because I didn't really care for it, as much as I love Susan Sarandon and I thought they'd stolen the title of this movie. The actual stars are Danny Glover and Ruben Blades; Samuel Jackson's part is so small you could almost miss him (although I recognized his voice right away).
I believe the prisoner is repentant in the end but that is really not the point. It's about what this does to everybody else, what it really means. Why would you "fix" a man so that you can kill him? Why couldn't we have tried to cure him before hand? He committed a heinous crime and had lived a life of crime before that. You aren't really supposed to feel too sorry for the prisoner, although there are times I absolutely understand his frustration at not really understanding how to politely and diplomatically influence others to give him what he wants. Those things - manners and diplomacy - probably didn't have a prominent place in his world when he was free. It's not an indictment of the death penalty, although it doesn't reflect well on it. We're still human beings and it should be difficult to kill another human being, even when we might consider him the scum of the earth. But if the death penalty is not cruel and unusual, and for the purpose of this movie, we can assume it is not, is making a man think about his impending death for years and years, cruel? I was extremely moved by this HBO movie in 1989 and I still find it extremely compelling.
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I found the story, acting, directing, and sets boring and dark. There wasn't a bright spot in it. I couldn't sympathize with the prisoner, who remained unrepentant for his crimes till the end, nor with the psychiatrist, who lacked the enthusiasm, compassion, and creativeness that the part required. And the movie's ending made no sense--since the prisoner got what he was going to get anyway. And the ambiance--we never see anything else but the cells, hallways, and a few offices. Consequently, I never cared about what the outcome would be.
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Taut and Provocative
Added 11/30/2002
In this powerful, suspenseful thriller of life on death row, Ben (ruben Blades) is awaiting execution for the brutal murder of four innocent people. But the pressure of life on Death Row has driven Ben mad, and this creates a problem for the State. An insane man cannot be executed, even if he was sane at the time of the crime.Starring: Danny Glover . Ruben Blades
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Powerful - Should Make You Think/Feel
Added 2/9/2009
Wow! I hadn't seen this in years but when the movie "Dead Man Walking" came out, I was confused because I didn't really care for it, as much as I love Susan Sarandon and I thought they'd stolen the title of this movie. The actual stars are Danny Glover and Ruben Blades; Samuel Jackson's part is so small you could almost miss him (although I recognized his voice right away).
I believe the prisoner is repentant in the end but that is really not the point. It's about what this does to everybody else, what it really means. Why would you "fix" a man so that you can kill him? Why couldn't we have tried to cure him before hand? He committed a heinous crime and had lived a life of crime before that. You aren't really supposed to feel too sorry for the prisoner, although there are times I absolutely understand his frustration at not really understanding how to politely and diplomatically influence others to give him what he wants. Those things - manners and diplomacy - probably didn't have a prominent place in his world when he was free. It's not an indictment of the death penalty, although it doesn't reflect well on it. We're still human beings and it should be difficult to kill another human being, even when we might consider him the scum of the earth. But if the death penalty is not cruel and unusual, and for the purpose of this movie, we can assume it is not, is making a man think about his impending death for years and years, cruel? I was extremely moved by this HBO movie in 1989 and I still find it extremely compelling.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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I found the story, acting, directing, and sets boring and dark. There wasn't a bright spot in it. I couldn't sympathize with the prisoner, who remained unrepentant for his crimes till the end, nor with the psychiatrist, who lacked the enthusiasm, compassion, and creativeness that the part required. And the movie's ending made no sense--since the prisoner got what he was going to get anyway. And the ambiance--we never see anything else but the cells, hallways, and a few offices. Consequently, I never cared about what the outcome would be.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Taut and Provocative
Added 11/30/2002
In this powerful, suspenseful thriller of life on death row, Ben (ruben Blades) is awaiting execution for the brutal murder of four innocent people. But the pressure of life on Death Row has driven Ben mad, and this creates a problem for the State. An insane man cannot be executed, even if he was sane at the time of the crime.Starring: Danny Glover . Ruben Blades
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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