Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

SlyGuy21 Not a religious movie, not an anti-death penalty movie, but a movie about redemption. About pain, and how it affects different people. "Dead Man Walking" strikes this fine balance between sympathy and personal justice. With no real agenda of it's own, the characters all have their own ways of coping with what's happened to them, whether it be Penn hiding behind his ego, or Ermey wanting the death penalty. The film stays as neutral as it can when covering a controversial topic like this. It doesn't ask you to pick sides, or condemn those who think different, but more understand where both sides are coming from. I can see both sides of the death penalty argument, and I hope I never have to decide personally, but this doesn't portray Penn's character as an animal, more of just a person who's done something bad. He comes off as more ignorant than anything else, foolish, racist, but still a human being, and the scene where he finally admits to what part he played in the crime got some tears out of me, I'm not gonna lie. It's a sad movie, but also an inspiring one, and I think everyone should at least see it once, just to see how both sides of a subject can be portrayed

coolgod He isn't sorry for being such an arsehole in real life (but they never are!), but i digress; Concerning the film itself & authenticity:- real people simple aren't that numb to shocking/horrendous behaviour of other's & nor would they be even remotely sympathetic to such a bastard (unless they are a closet bastard as opposed to their religious preacher guise)..., if they were any good they're decent human sensibilitie's would be so offended by Sean Penn playing his real life bastard self (so convincingly) that they would hate the phucker & would volunteer to lethally inject birdschitt into him until he die's on the day of his overdue execution! Another obvious observation litigated by 'Not Your's Truly'

Peter Welch Dead Man Walking is not a one-sided political propaganda picture. It could have been a movie made to confirm the political biases of its viewers, but instead it is a nuanced view of a nuanced issue.The film follows the true-to-life events of death row inmate Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) and Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon), a nun who responds to his letters. Sister Prejean follows Poncelet through his appeals process and his final days, learning all about his case and meeting a number of other involved parties, including the parents of Poncelet's two teenage victims.If a viewer comes into the movie strongly against the death penalty, they will see a movie that shows a flawed, but altogether good and apologetic man be killed by his country. If a viewer comes in against the death penalty, they will see a movie in which a killer causes irreparable harm and pays the price. Robbins does a great job juxtaposing two reasonable characters against each other. On the anti-death penalty side, Prejean is easy to attach to: she is caring and a believer in forgiveness. On the pro-death penalty side, a viewer can easily sympathize with the pain that the parents of the victims feel after their kids were killed for no good reason.The performances by the cast are phenomenal, and Robbins knows how to put the actors in emotional, personal settings in which their talent can go on full display. I am confident that I have never seen Sean Penn give a more powerful performance (even though he has two Academy Awards).If I have a criticism of the film, it lies in the score. The movie is loaded with bubbly, acoustic tunes that do not fit the dark subject matter. David Robbins, brother of Tim Robbins, is credited with the music in the film, and one has to believe that nepotism was a factor in how he got the job. This is probably a nitpick of a very good movie, but it does detract from the experience.Dead Man Walking is certainly worth a watch, as it is a balanced view of a complex issue that is bolstered by impressive acting.

sarahthompsonx Few films manage to leave an impact as powerful as that of Dead Man Walking. Analyzing the heart-wrenchingly controversial issue of the death penalty in a mature way that pays equal consideration to any possible viewpoints, the film utilizes a fantastically written script and flawless characterization to gather emotional appeal, and regardless of your opinion on the topic, it will doubtlessly leave you with a new, realistic outlook of the topic. Based on the lucid novel written by Sister Helen Prejean, Dead Man Walking retells the emotional memoir of a woman with first- hand experience of capital punishment. The film begins with Sister Helen, portrayed by Susan Sarandon, receiving a letter from an inmate on death row. Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) is one of two men convicted for the rape and murder of two teenagers, and, after corresponding with and requesting the help of Sister Helen Prejean, is paid a visit by the nun. Through numerous instances of correspondence, Sister Helen eventually takes up the role of a spiritual counselor for the gruff criminal. As she experiences the complexities of the situation, Sister Helen not only comes to befriend Matthew, but also gains a new understanding of the viewpoint of the victims – after meeting the parents of the dead teenage couple, the kind protagonist becomes aware of the alarming contradictions of the situation, understanding the damage caused by Matthew while simultaneously retaining her sympathy for him. The film closes not with a fantastic plot twist that allows the unsettling character we have become so unwillingly attached to to continue his life – no, Dead Man Walking ends with Matthew's death by lethal injection, an eye opening reminder of the harsh realities that set the film's theme.The turbulence of the plot in and of itself accounts for a good portion of the film's nerve wracking impact. The film presents the complexities and hardships of capital punishment in a realistic manner, not filling it to the brim with clichés and happy endings but instead utilizing multiple viewpoints to make a dismal statement of philosophy. Dead Man Walking takes care to avoid pushing one side of the controversial topic – the interactions between Sister Helen and Matthew call to attention the human side of every criminal, while those involving the families of the murder victims allow for contemplation of the justice behind the practice.What drives Dead Man Walking's emotional influence is the strength of character portrayed by the actors. Sarandon's depiction of Sister Helen Prejean is wracked with emotion; sensitive and vulnerable, yet retaining the necessary toughness to see through her relationship with Matthew to the end, Sister Helen's characterization is real and fantastically empathetic. Her emphasis on reconciliation with one's crimes helps to visualize the humanity, or lack thereof, of the issue in question, regardless of your opinion on it. Meanwhile, Matthew's flawless characterization helps to illustrate victims of capital punishment as real people; maintaining the gruff depths and despicable imperfections of a convicted criminal, Matthew is in no way a likable character, yet he manages to grow on us through his impoverished background and eventual acceptance. He isn't shown as an overly exaggerated monster, but instead allows for consideration of the spiritual humanness of even the most abhorrent of people. Even the performances of the parents of Matthew's victims allow for further development of emotion and opinion – displaying the viewpoint of the death penalty from those who have had to deal with the consequences of losing a loved one, the passion of these characters allow for a fully rounded film while perfectly bringing home the mantra of forgiveness that is ingrained into the script.All in all, Dead Man Walking is a wonderfully produced film that perfectly captures the debate of capital punishment and synthesizes on it to organize a powerful examination of humanity. Refusing to stray from realism, the film perfectly emphasizes with both sides of the rampant controversy and examines crime from a new point of view; regardless of any prior knowledge, Dead Man Walking is sure to further consideration of the widespread dispute.