Dead Man Walking (1995)

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 19 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:

In reality, Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie, both inmates on whom Sean Penn's character Matthew Poncelet is based on, were executed by the electric chair in Louisiana in 1984; by 1993, Louisiana switched that penalty to lethal injection as the most humane way to execute. Both Tim Robbins and Helen Prejean opted to use lethal injection in the film instead of the electric chair because, according to Prejean's interview, "We don't want to give people the moral (of the most humane death) out whereby people could say 'Oh well, we used to do electrocution but that's too barbaric so now we are humane and inject them'."

Goofs:

Continuity: In some scenes where Helen is talking to Matthew through the grate, her face is pressed up against the wires but in reverse angle shots it is not.

Quotes:

Sister Helen Prejean: You are a son of God.
Matthew Poncelet: [in tears] Thank you. I've never been called a son of God before.
[laughs slightly]
Matthew Poncelet: I've been called a son of a you-know-what plenty of times, but I've never been called a son of God.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Diabolik (#11.13)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Shadow

A sensitive treatment of a controversial topic

Coming from the Hollywood couple notorious for their strong political convictions and social consciousness, "Dead Man Walking" is a multi-layered and thorough examination of a controversial issue. With this film, Tim Robbins really proves himself as a writer and a director, leaving no stones unturned in addressing the many key elements of capital punishment. In what I consider the best film of 1995, Robbins' take on the death penalty is both compassionate and incisive. Though he, Susan Sarandon, and Sister Helen Prejean (the Catholic nun who wrote the book upon which the movie is based) are against the death penalty, "Dead Man Walking" goes to great lengths to encourage debate and to examine the issue from all angles. It provides us with just as many arguments for capital punishment as it provides against capital punishment.

"Dead Man Walking" is perhaps most successful in depicting the families of both the murderer and his two victims. The scene in which Sister Helen visits Mr. Delacroix (father of the male victim) after he has criticized her for not doing so in the first place is particularly moving. As the scene ends, the camera slowly moves back, revealing a quiet and still living room. This shot alone perfectly suggests the shattering toll a murder takes on a family. In fact, this film has plenty of subjective camerawork that is both subtle and potent at the same time. Never does Robbins' feel that he has to hammer in the pain that these families face.

Sean Penn gives the performance of his career as Matthew Poncelet, the trailer-trashy and racist death-row inmate. This is the role that should have won him the Oscar, had there been any justice. A great testament to Penn's acting is that he does not try to win sympathy for his character. He simply plays Poncelet as is, and presents him as human, in the process. I have seen this film many times over the years and my heart still skips a beat when Poncelet finally lets go of his ego and owns up to his responsibility in the murders.

Susan Sarandon is simply wonderful as Sister Helen Prejean, playing her with a combination of bravery and vulnerablility. It is also great to see a Catholic nun depicted in a non-stereotypical way. Just as Penn gives a human face to a hardened criminal, Sarandon makes Sister Helen equally human.

I also strongly recommend the book! I have read it twice myself and I am sure that I will be affected by it once more the next time I pick it up. By reading the book, you will notice that Robbins has taken a few liberties with the actual events. The character Matthew Poncelet is actually an amalgamation of two death row inmates that Sister Helen describes in her book. The spirit and compassion of the book is dead-on accurate. It amazes me that Robbins' screenplay adaptation was not even nominated for an Oscar in addition to the other four nominations this movie did receive. As far as I am concerned, Robbins' direction and writing are assured, and I continue to look forward to his next projects.