Dead Man Out (1989)

A psychiatrist is sent to evaluate if a convicted multiple murderer who's awaiting execution on Death Row for eighth year now and whose behavior during that time got more and more erratic is still mentally fit to be executed.

Director:

Richard Pearce

Writers:

J.D. Maria (story), Lorna Soroko (story),

Stars:

Tom Atkins, Rubén Blades, Larry Block

Cast

Credited cast:
Tom Atkins	...	Berger
Rubén Blades	...	Ben
Larry Block	...	Kleinfeld
Johnny Cuthbert	...	Escort Guard (as Jon Cuthbert)
Val Ford
Ali Giron	...	Prison Warden
Danny Glover	...	Dr. Alex Marsh
Eric Hoziel
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Calvin Fredricks
Minor Mustain	...	Guard
Maria Ricossa
Sam Stone

Storyline

A psychiatrist is sent to evaluate if a convicted multiple murderer who's awaiting execution on Death Row for eighth year now and whose behavior during that time got more and more erratic is still mentally fit to be executed.

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Plot Keywords:

murderer | psychiatrist | death row | prison | prison guard | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Man Walking

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Let's talk about "the item".

Sentimentality doesn't add much to a story. So many films I've seen have been claimed as realistic, only to prove themselves attached to the common movie-making conventions of so-called "true stories". "Dead Man Out" is not a true story. But it is a believable one. Danny Glover and Rubén Blades have an intense personal interaction here, and a script that gives them every possible opportunity to explore it. These are two marvelous performances seen here, painfully convincing in depth.

This film's director, Richard Pearce - and cinematographer Michel Brault - worked together in 1981 on "Threshold". Like that film, they take a familiar set of circumstances, previously covered ground, and see it in a new and deeper way. One film was a medical drama, this is a prison film. It's both like and unlike so many other stories of similar focus. By stripping way down and neatly avoiding most clichés, "Dead Man Out" becomes a lean and muscular depiction of real people.