Take a pinch of the film DEAD MAN WALKING, sprinkle in a little ERIN BROCKOVICH and you pretty much have an idea as to how CONVICTION is being pitched to the masses. The film tells the story of Betty Anne Waters, a working mother who goes back to university to study law (a subsequently become a lawyer) in order to free her imprisoned brother who has been sent down for a crime (murder no less) he did not commit.
So, let’s just go through that again. A woman, from working class middle America, who is struggling to balance looking after a small child, on her own, gives up everything on an 18 year long quest to free her targeted brother who has been sent to prison for killing a woman. If I were a Hollywood executive with that being pitched at me, I would have turned it down flat. As a movie goer, I wouldn’t be able to invest in it. Too far fetched? How about if I told you that it’s all true. How do I know that? Well, that’s what the press notes say, and this week the site actually interviewed the real Betty Anne Waters.
My comparison to those two aforementioned films probably should not be taken into consideration when watching this movie. I have seen Erin Brockovich, but not since it was originally released back in the nineties, and if I had to raise my hand and say ‘I have not seen Dead Man Walking,; then I would be telling the truth. I am reviewing this film with ‘fresh eyes’ so to speak.
So, comparisons and massively unbelieveable plot aside, how was it. Did I enjoy it. Well, this was possibly one of the last movies that I saw in 2010, and in my opinion ranked up there with some of the best. The acting in this movie, as you may expect from the line up, is top-notch. The poster itself has ‘Academy Award’ nominee above three of its main cast,’ Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo and the superb-in-this Juliette Lewis (who incidentally appears in just two scenes, but nearly steals the movie). Then there’s the Academy Award winning Hilary Swank who plays the lead character of Betty Anne. As you may expect, Swank excels in her role and balances the load of full-time single mother and law student, and is again, as you may expect, very believable. Then there’s Sam Rockwell, an actor who does not have the title ‘Academy Award nominee’ above his name on the poster; this is an injustice in itself. Rockwell portrays the role of Kenny superbly, and although he is not guilty of this crime, in the way he portrays the character, he just could have been. Kenny is portrayed as hot-headed, with a little temper, displayed wonderfully by Rockwell in a bar dance scene early on.
The only thing that I had a problem with, and only really a minor problem, which would have been a huge problem and plot flaw if the story was fictional is how the ending comes together. The resolution to the will-he-be-freed-or-won’t-he. If Betty Anne had not gone back to college or law school to study to become a lawyer, and had just merely waited 18 years but still believed in her brothers innocent then possibly the outcome may just have been the same. To reveal more would spoil the film, and this point that I am trying to make is irrelevent anyway as this is not what the film is about. This film is about a sibling’s undying, relentless quest and belief in someone that she loves, and it is delivered to the screen wonderfully.
Is it the best film out there at the moment? Well, it has some huge competition and I worry that it will get buried amongst a strong release schedule, but this is a film that needs to be seen about a story that needs to be told. I enjoyed it, and for anyone having trouble deciding about what to watch this weekend, opting for this will not be a disappointment at all.
Grade: B+
