Review of Conviction (2010) by Brandon R — 23 May 2011

Based on the preview, I had a sneaking suspicion that this might be one of those cheesy, obvious dramas where injustice is fought, odds are beaten and valuable lessons are learned in the end.

And for the most part, my suspicions were correct. So many better movies have been made on the same basic premise that the world just does not need another movie like this. Especially one that does nothing to set it apart from the others.

Hilary Swank cannot carry a film on her ownâ"she's just so bland in this that we don't really develop a concern for her character or her character's cause. Also, her Boston accent was atrociousâ"overdone and forced.

Sam Rockwell delivered a great performance as usual, but it was overshadowed by Swank's blandness.

Really this movie wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. Just your typical mediocre, forgettable drama. There just did not seem to be enough story to work from. I would have liked it a lot more if it turned out that after all the years Betty Ann spent trying to free her brother, that he turned out to be guilty after all. That would have been a welcome twist.