Review of Dead Man Walking (1995) by Dawdlingpoet — 20 Nov 2021

I thought this was a very well made film - very much a thought provoking watch. Its quite slow paced but it shows things from a different angle, that of the nun trying to connect to the man convicted of multiple killings and who faces the death penalty, trying to get an idea of what might have happened and whether he can be redeemed before potentially being killed. I'd say redemption is one of the most obvious themes at play in this film. It questions the ethics of the death sentence but it isn't a documentary as such. Its based on a book, I believe.

I could understand and empathise with the family of the victims who struggle with the nun attempting to (as they see it) side with the criminal. As the saying goes, things are rarely black and white. However, the film follows the nun spending time with the criminal and mulling things over, not actually scientifically or otherwise from a police point of view, going over evidence and re-enacting things to try and discover any potential suspects etc. It takes more of a philosophical angle on things and this may well not appeal to some but I found it quite a sobering, thoughtful watch. There is some poignant dialogue present.

I felt both Susan Sarandon (who plays the nun, Sister Helen Prejean) and Sean Penn (who plays the convict, Matthew Poncelet) gave moving performances - its a quite memorable film partly due to their solid performances, making it an emotional watch.

Overall I thought this was a well made film and I'd recommend it.