Witness to the Execution (TV 1994)

This movie deals with a television network hoping to draw the biggest ratings ever while televising an execution live into the home of every American family.

Director:

Tommy Lee Wallace

Writers:

Keith Pierce (story), Priscilla Prestwidge (story),

Stars:

Sean Young, Len Cariou, George Newbern

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Young	...	Jessica Traynor
Len Cariou	...	Jake Tyler
George Newbern	...	Phillip Tyler
Dee Wallace	...	Emily Dawson (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Alan Fudge	...	Wallace Sternberg
Brian Markinson	...	Kirby Jacobs
Marina Palmier	...	Cynthia Moore (as Marina Gonzalez Palmier)
Tim Daly	...	Dennis Casterline
Constance Jones	...	Lucy
Alex Morris	...	Ramos (as Alex Allen Morris)
Lourdes Regala	...	Dornbush
Brandon Smith	...	Toyoshima
Blue Deckert	...	Lt. Mike Spalding
Kurt Rhoads	...	Dr. Rosen
Fred Roggin	...	Himself

Storyline

This movie deals with a television network hoping to draw the biggest ratings ever while televising an execution live into the home of every American family.

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Plot Keywords:

prison

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hinrichtung live - Die Bestie muß sterben!

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frederick S. Pierce Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

will you pay to watch the guilty pay for their crimes?

This TVM about the evil lords of pay-for-view TV hooks into the bread and circuses level of entertainment, but taking us where Jerry Springer is yet to go - live coverage of the execution of death row criminals. That the company who forms an agreement with politicians is called Tycom may be a reference to Viacom, with Sean Young as the head of programming, Len Cariou as her boss, and Timothy Daly as the convicted killer chosen for his appeal to women, who we are told control the remote in American households. Although Daly's Sean Penn Dead Man Walking bouffant gives him a sociopathic suggestion, to Young he is a pussycat, which leads her to believe that he is innocent, so director Tommy Lee Wallace gives us a race against the "countdown to justice". The teleplay by Thomas Baum hasn't decided what we ultimately should believe about Daly. It has Young leaning towards his innocence which would make her want to pull the program, but the case it offers in his defense is hardly believable and represented by Dee Wallace Stone in a I'm making the most of my few scenes performance. This therefore works against Young's character, who has been previously established as cynical and savvy, and Wallace skimps on any romance between Young and Daly. Looking very beautiful, Young gives some surprising line readings, and provides a memorable howl. The climactic execution set reminded me of something from Triumph of the Will via Network, with the Big Brother/Big Business implications chillingly realised.