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19 reviews in total

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Movie is touching, 5 December 2004
Author: Akash11 (akatarantula@hotmail.com) from British Columbia, Canada

Movie starts of with Rick Hayes (Rob Morrow) a young lawyer who gets a new job and is assigned a clemency case on Cindy Liggett (Sharon Stone) who has been on death row for 12 years for double murder. Rick Hayes tries to save Liggett from execution. At first she refuses to give Rick information. But later on gets along with him and they get closer. Everyone gives up on her and Rick is the only one trying to help her and is very driven to save her.

Some people might say it is a slow and boring movie and that the plot is not good but i liked it, it was a very touching movie and Sharon Stone did a great job. I recamend it to those that like touching movies like me.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Female version of Dead Man Walking., 14 May 2002

Author: nmp381 from NY

I have yet to see DMW- starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, but given it was such a popular movie, it was difficult for this one to step out of its shadow. It is about a woman up against death row. An attorney steps in and tries to save her life by proving her innocence in a murder trial. I have always been intrigued with prison movies for their grittiness, and drama, and Last Dance has some real moments of tension. However the grittiness is somewhat lacking, until the end (and even there its not as strong). What saves the movie is strong acting, specifically from Stone (who is somewhat Hollywood's female version of Sean Penn in that they exceed in the lowlife "bad guy" roles like no other). 7/10.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Good Stone,bad plot., 29 September 2001
Author: dbdumonteil

Susan Hayward set her standards so high as far as this kind of performance is concerned that every actress who tries her hand at the death row will fatally be compared to her.Robert Wise 's "I want to live" remains vivid in memory .But Sharon Stone walks out with honors.She's a genuine thespian here,giving up glamour,seduction and sophistication ,but not necessarily her basic instincts which led her to the death sentence.She displays restraint in her gestures and her words,her relationship with other inmates rings true,particularly with the black woman.Her interest in art drawing is credible.

Sadly,she's supported neither by the rest of the cast,nor by the plot.Her attentive escort is a rather bland actor,who seems more to go touring round the jail than care for his unfortunate protégée.And what a man!We learn that he is a young man of means whose fortune fluctuates as the years pass by.That's the main flaw:the movie would like to be realistic,it is melodramatic to the core.Outside the lawyer's story,we deal with a black convict,who redeemed himself in jail,who wrote a book,which became a best-seller,and he passed a law degree ,you name it...Alas poor Sharon/Cindy killed a wealthy man's son (and his girlfriend),but she was never given a chance ,being born on the wrong side of town.A glance into her aunt's "house" tells it all.That's too much.

There is a successful short scene.Morrow asks the female victim's mother to sign a petition;and although she's an adept of "thou shalt not kill",she refuses.Hardly one minute,but these few words say a lot more than the preachy chatter of the rest of the plot.But the "false " ending -and there's also a ridiculous Indian epilogue- gives the coup de grâce to the movie.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Better than your average John Grisham legal drama, 14 November 2006

Author: youradviser2005 from United States

For people who believe in second chances. "Last Dance" belongs to my top 10 lawyer movies of all time below "A Few Good Men," "Class Action" and "The Verdict." I've seen this movie a dozen of times and as a law student I must say that it is better than your average John Grisham legal drama maybe except for "The Rainmaker." This film takes on the professional and ethical dilemma of a young clemency attorney Rick Hayes played by Rob Morrow who befriends a death row inmate convicted of double murder Cindy Liggett played by Sharon Stone. She is about to be executed. He moves heaven and earth to save her from death by lethal injection. The rest of the cast are excellent from Peter Gallagher and Jack Thompson. Randy Quaid gives a very good performance as a sarcastic veteran clemency attorney Sam Burns.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Sharon Stone in one of her best roles and performances, 1 May 2006

Author: Sherazade from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

she stars as a middle-aged woman on death row for a crime she committed as a teenager who was high on drugs and alcohol. It's really sad because back then, even she was a victim herself, of abuse by her boyfriend as well as people in her immediate family background. But two wrongs don't make a right. Her drunken and drug high resulted in the death of innocent people for which she has gotten stuck serving time while her crazy boyfriend at the time goes score free. The majority of the film is in her lawyer's point of view as he tries desperately to save her from death by lethal injection and in the process falls in love with her. It is stunningly shot though slow paced (and as well it should be, it's a film about the supposed last days of somebody's life Hello!) and brilliantly acted. The best scene is the end scene but I don't want to give too much away. Hint: it has to do with one of the most beautiful wonders of India.

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6 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Based on an Actual Case, 21 September 2004
Author: mantis-11 from Phoenix, AZ

I just saw this recently, and found it interesting that the details of the case in it follow quite closely those of the controversial execution of Karla Faye Tucker Brown. Karla committed a double murder much like that portrayed in the film, and, like the film's Cindy Liggett, reformed her life in prison. Also like Liggett, she was a fairly attractive, articulate woman who argued eloquently, though futilely, for clemency. Unlike Liggett, however, Karla became a born-again Christian, and her clemency plea was supported by several prominent pastors including Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. It is thus notable that the governor who signed her death warrant was none other than our current, allegedly born-again President, George W. Bush. It is possible that nothing in Bush's checkered career reveals his true character more clearly than his callous, smirking mockery of Karla's dignified plea for her life during an interview with Talk Magazine the year after her execution.

Incidentally, Karla Faye Tucker Brown was killed by the state of Texas in 1998, two years after this film came out. That suggests that the filmmakers might have been trying to to make an argument for clemency, as Errol Morris did for Randall Adams with his documentary "The Thin Blue Line." If so, it failed miserably.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Lethal injection, 2 November 2006

Author: jotix100 from New York

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Some criminals in death row get a dose of their own medicine while they await execution, which seems to be the case with Cindy Liggett, a woman that killed two young people a few years before. Cindy, it appears, is resigned to die. She doesn't want the idea of getting false hopes, which is what happens when a young idealistic lawyer tries to have her execution stopped because he finds flaws in her case. Unfortunately, his pleas in favor of his client go into deaf ears.

Rich Hayes, a young lawyer, returns home to a job his brother John, a lawyer working in the legal system, has been able to get for him. He is assigned to the clemency department, reviewing old cases that have been tried already. The Cindy Liggett murder conviction gets his attention. It's clear, from the start, her reaction is negative. She feels she is better off dead, rather than serve life in jail. At first, Cindy clashes with Rich, but his earnestness win her over, as she begins to see some hope.

Rich, for his part, steps into many toes. Worst of all, he makes a blunder by accosting the state Governor at the wrong place, at the wrong time. The Governor believes in the death sentence and is against showing clemency for a murderess like Ms. Liggett, who, as far as he is concerned, has shown no remorse in the horrible way she killed.

The last moments of the film involve Cindy's preparation to die by lethal injection for the crimes she committed. It is a tense time as Rich tries to do everything possible to spare the convict of the impending death. There is a tender moment when Cindy discovers a dress Rich has bought for her to wear at her execution.

Bruce Heresford has had some successes in his long film career, both in his native Australia and in America. This film will always be compared to "Dead Man Walking", a more intense, and better film. The screen play by Ron Koslow doesn't quite make us care too much for a woman who has, apparently, not an ounce of redeeming qualities. We don't believe for one moment that the young lawyer, who also hasn't done anything worth while in his life will take the convict's case to heart like he does in the film.

The best thing in "Last Dance" is Sharon Stone. She obviously wanted to be taken seriously when she agreed to do this movie. Her Cindy Liggett shows a hardened soul who awakens to realize the consequences of her actions and must pay for them. Rob Morrow, who plays Rich Hays throws away the film in the way he plays the character. We don't believe him for a moment he is this man who tries so hard to have Cindy's conviction changed to life. Randy Quaid, Peter Gallagher, Jack Thompson, and Skeet Ulrich are seen in the film.

The main reason to watch "Last Dance" is Sharon Stone who shows she has the potential to do better things in her movie career.

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Sharon Stone does no dancing on Death Row..., 15 April 2006

Author: moonspinner55 from las vegas, nv

Death Row inmate Sharon Stone may be put to death by lethal injection if novice clemency lawyer Rob Morrow can't get the government to be sensitive to her case. Flimsy, one-dimensional melodrama tries taking a well-meant stand against the death penalty--but with such shallow characters, it's difficult to become involved. This was yet another bid by Stone to be taken as a serious actress, but instead she's rigid in this part, steely-eyed and dull; only in the film's final third does she shake off the cobwebs. Supporting cast (including Randy Quaid and Skeet Ulrich) is weakly-used and the writing is mediocre throughout. And what about that awful title? ** from ****

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Worth Watching, 26 May 2012

Author: msmstockin from United States

This movie though it is based on a tragic event and very hard to watch in parts, it shows something about the human heart which is invaluable. That is, that human beings are capable of immense compassion for other humans beings, which stems from the knowledge that we all share common bonds and deserve such compassion regardless of our life circumstances. A very touching movie to see this lawyer connect with this woman in such a way. This movie has a message well worth seeing. In addition the acting in this movie was very good and Sharon Stone did a superb job as well as Rob Marrow. I would recommend this movie for the above reasons, but be prepared for some shocking material.

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Thou Shalt Not Kill... Not Even Cindy Liggett., 30 November 2011

Author: sol1218 from brooklyn NY

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

****SPOILERS**** Tense and nail biting film about a person convicted of a double murder Cindy Liggett, Sharon Stone, waiting to be executed by the state as time as well as her life slowly ticks away form her.

There's absolutely no doubt in Cindy'd crime since she freely admitted to it and is even willing to pay for it with her life. It's her clemency court appointed attorney Rick Hayes, Rob Morrow, who feels that she's getting a raw deal in being sentenced to death when there are extenuating circumstances that would have at least speared her life if made public at Cindy's murder trial. The fact that Cindy was high on crack cocaine together with her boyfriend and accomplice Doug, Don Harvey, should have at least gotten her a life sentence,in the crime not being premeditated, then a one way trip to the state's execution chamber. In fact it was Doug who got off with a life stance who's testimony sent Cindy straight to death row.

Sharon Stone in a rare non glamorous role steals the show or movie as the convicted murderess Cindy Liggett who only wants to have the state end it all for her despite her lawyer Rick Hayes doing everything possible to prevent that from happening. Eevn though you know that Cindy is guilty and deserves what's coming to her, a lethal injection, Stone's acting is so electrifying in not wanting to live that you just can't help pulling for her lawyer Rick Hayes to get her off not for Sharon's or Cindy's sake but for the legal and moral augments that Rick makes in her favor!

***MAJOR SPOILERS*** Heart-dropping final that has everyone, even those who want Cindy to get it, rooting for Rick to get a stay of execution for Cindy even though it's hard to make a case for her not being executed. Up until the end Rick, who by then was thrown off the case, did everything in his power to save Cindy's life that it even had the pro death penalty Governor,Jack Thompson, almost on his side. And it was in the end that Rick despite his best efforts realized that Cindy was right all along in not wanting to live. And finally accepted what fate had in store for both Cindy and himself: A peace that Cindy never knew in her entire young life that in her paying for her crimes would end up giving her.

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