Review of Conviction (2010) by Favio V — 28 Jul 2011

Usually when I hear the terms "inspirational" and "true story" used to describe a movie, I tend to keep a restraining order's distance from any theater that may be playing such a film. Why? Well, because I'm a heartless bastard. Actually, no. Perhaps not. Perhaps I just don't like the idea of paying some tens bucks and (or if you happen to catch it on cable) two hours if my ever fleeting time watching some emotionally manipulative piece of tripe which tells me that I must cry because it "really happened." I'm sorry, even though these films are based on truth, it does not negate the fact that it is still a movie, and movies are inherently lies made up to look like truth.

So what is this "true story" about? Its about how rednecks from Massachusetts are no different from rednecks of the deep south. They just have that wicked smart (drop the "R") Boston accent to fall back on and to let us know that: hey, we're not in South Carolina. The white trash which we are talking about in this film is the Waters family. Mainly two siblings, Betty-Anne and Kenny. Who are these people, you ask? Well, Kenny is an explosive kind of soul which never backs down from a confrontation. As with every other movies, bars are never used for drinking, but for fist fights, and Kenny knows how to get into them. When a woman ends up dead -- stabbed thirty something times -- Kenny is picked up for the murder. He's an easy conviction seeing as he's had prior trouble with the law and the local law enforcement don't like him none too much. He's convicted of the crime and is sent to the State Penn for a life term without parole.

This is where Betty Anne comes in. She's one tough cookie. So tough they had to get that Million Dollar baby-girl to play her (Hillary Swank). But instead of knocking peoples teeth out with her fists to get her brother out of the joint, she decides to go about it the legal way, which is to become a lawyer and find the evidence which proves his innocence... which she does. I guess I should not have spoiled it for those who have not seen it already (as if anybody is actually going to read what I write on this film). But... actually, I'm sure you have seen this movie before because one's just like it play on the Lifetime channel nearly twice daily.

I'm not saying that Conviction is a bad movie. I'd say it's pretty decent... for a ABC Family TV movie of the week. I mean, they bat around the language enough to keep the littlen's from attending any screenings, but really, it pretty formulaic. But who can blame them, right. I mean, would Hollywood actually make a film out of a honest to G-d story of how a man, wrongfully accused, and sentenced to life murder, gets freed by his sister who becomes a lawyer just for this one case and then turns out to have actually done it? I don't think so. But it would be interesting. Very interesting. Not to say that I actually hoped that this was the case in real life. But then, if real life is so predictable, then maybe we're better off sticking to our warped imaginations and create films that challenge us instead of feeding into the numbing state of our ever dulling minds with predictable, emotionally sloppy works like this.

I'm not saying don't watch it. But I am saying, "couldn't we try a little harder? Even when the story is supposedly true.".