Compassion in a film about a contentious issue

Dead Man Walking

Released December 29, 1995

(Certificate R16)

My star rating in 1996:

FILMS OF SUBSTANCE/AN OLD REVIEW OF Dead Man Walking (1995).

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Oscar nominee Sean Penn, portrays a man who commits rape and murder and is sentenced to death by lethal injection. A Catholic nun (played by Susan Sarandon in a convincing, powerhouse role) becomes his spiritual advisor.

There are two sides to the story: the “compassion” theology and those in support of capital punishment. The former gets a better hearing in Dead Man Walking.

The film has distinct merits as it tells all the stories of the concerned parties, within a religious and state background, addressing a contentious issue.

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Reviewed by Peter Veugelaers.

Published 1996, GiveWay.