Dead Man Walking (1995)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Tim Robbins

Writers (WGA):

Helen Prejean (book)
Tim Robbins (written by)

Release Date:

12 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.

Plot Keywords:

Nun | Death Row | Murder | Empathy | Repentance

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 18 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Susan Sarandon	...	Sister Helen Prejean
Sean Penn	...	Matthew Poncelet
Robert Prosky	...	Hilton Barber
Raymond J. Barry	...	Earl Delacroix
R. Lee Ermey	...	Clyde Percy
Celia Weston	...	Mary Beth Percy
Lois Smith	...	Helen's mother
Scott Wilson	...	Chaplain Farlely
Roberta Maxwell	...	Lucille Poncelet
Margo Martindale	...	Sister Colleen
Barton Heyman	...	Capt. Beliveau
Steve Boles	...	Sgt. Neal Trapp
Nesbitt Blaisdell	...	Warden Hartman
Ray Aranha	...	Luis Montoya
Larry Pine	...	Guy Gilardi

MPAA:

Rated R for a depiction of a rape and murder.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34133) | Iceland:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Angola, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Havoc

Trivia:

When director Tim Robbins needed songs written for the film, he simply sent a cut of the film to several noted composers, among them Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle and asked for a song.

Goofs:

Continuity: Matthew says that they shaved his left leg in case they couldn't find a vein. In subsequent shots, it has clearly not been shaved.

Quotes:

Matthew Poncelet: It's quiet. Only three days left. Plenty of time to read my Bible and look for a loophole.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

This Is The Day The Lord Has Made

***** Unbeatable film and performances

Susan Sarandon is unbeatable in this powerful and fascinating adaptation of Sister Helen Prejean's true-life novel about her experiences as a nun counselling inmates on death row. Tim Robbins (showing exceptional power as a director) has written a script that fictionalizes Prejean's two factual accounts of her life into one fictional one involving Sean Penn as the first man Prejean ever counselled, a man on death row for the rape and murder of two young teenagers. The entire cast is perfectly rounded, from Margo Martindale as Prejean's good friend Colleen, Robert Prosky as an earnest appeals lawyer, Roberta Maxwell as Penn's brokenhearted mother, and R. Lee Ermey, Celia Weston, and Raymond J. Barry as the parents of the murder victims. The film is at heart a statement against the death penalty, but it doesn't drive a message home--it examines every aspect of the situation and challenges you on so many levels (unlike similarly themed films such as Last Dance and The Chamber) that you'll struggle to comfortably find what you feel is true for yourself. Lois Smith has two wonderful scenes as Prejean's wise mother, and as usual she does a brilliant job. Beautiful filmmaking that gets better with each viewing.