Dead Man Walking (1995)

A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.

Director:

Tim Robbins

Writers:

Helen Prejean (book) (as Sister Helen Prejean C.S.J.), Tim Robbins

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky

Won 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Farley
Roberta Maxwell	...	Lucille Poncelet
Margo Martindale	...	Sister Colleen
Barton Heyman	...	Captain Beliveau
Steve Boles	...	Sgt. Neal Trapp
Nesbitt Blaisdell	...	Warden Hartman
Ray Aranha	...	Luis Montoya
Larry Pine	...	Guy Gilardi

Storyline

A convicted murderer on Death Row and the nun who befriends him. Through the portrayal of finely drawn characters and their interactions as the days, hours, and minutes tick down to the condemned man's execution, powerful emotions are unleashed. While Matthew Poncelet and Sister Prejean desperately try to gain a stay of execution from the governor or the courts, scenes are intercut from the brutal crime, gradually revealing the truth about the events that transpired. In addition to her temporal help, the nun also tries to reach out spiritually and assist as a guide to salvation.

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Plot Keywords:

nun | capital punishment | solitary confinement | f rated | execution | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a depiction of a rape and murder

Did You Know?

Trivia

Helen Prejean: The real Sister Helen appears outside the prison during a candlelight vigil scene.

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Goofs

When Sister Helen and Sister Colleen are discussing Matthew's funeral, Sister Colleen, thinking about his funeral suit, asks Sister Helen how big Matthew is, as though she's never seen him in the flesh before. But Sister Colleen was at the Pardon Board hearing, sitting right behind Matthew. She would have known his size.

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Quotes

Sister Colleen: If Matt dies, guess who he'll be buried next to?
Sister Helen Prejean: Who's the last person to die?
Sister Colleen: Sister Celestine.
Sister Helen Prejean: Oh Lord.
Sister Colleen: You remember when that sweet little girl in the convent came after her wedding day to introduce her husband to us?
Sister Helen Prejean: Sister Celestine said, "I'm glad I never had to share my bed with a man."
Sister Colleen: She loved her celibacy so much.
Sister Helen Prejean: I know. She's gonna be lying next to a man for all eternity.

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Crazy Credits

In the heart-shaped symbol at the end of the credits, the initials EMLA, JHR, MGR, and SS stand for Tim Robbins' family with Susan Sarandon (SS) -- Jack Henry Robbins and Miles Guthrie Robbins (their two sons together) and Eva Maria Livia Amurri (Sarandon's daughter with Franco Amurri).

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Connections

Referenced in Charlie Rose: Episode dated 6 September 2004 (2004)

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Soundtracks

The Long Road
Performed by Eddie Vedder with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Written by Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder courtesy of Epic Records
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan courtesy of Real World Records, Ltd.

User Reviews

A worthy effort by all concerned.

Tim Robbins takes this film beyond its implicit political message and produces a moving piece of art. Though the underlying anti-death penalty moral is prevalent, the director never becomes tendentious. He intersperses the plight of death row inmate Matthew Poncelet with gruesome, if not surreal, images of the crime that he committed. And where one would expect a juxtaposition of the brutality of Poncelet's (and his co-perpetrator's) nefarious act with an equally cruel demonstration of state-sponsored execution, Robbins shows Poncelet's death to be clinical and quiet in comparison to his sordid deed. It is this type of restraint that not only adds credibility to the work but also power.

The performances of Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon as Poncelet and Sister Helen Prejean respectively, are stellar. Penn's grim nuance pervades his character as he moves from stoical rancor to the contrition that provides the denouement. With the incisiveness in which his acting has become associated he provides the edge in which Sarandon impinges her role. Appearing perpetually exhausted, she immerses herself in the sturm and drang of her part and counters Penn's fringe with an enveloping emollient. Even her expostulations and attempts to save Poncelet from perdition do not even approach pontification or the banal.

In the end this movie did not change my opinion on the death penalty; such conversions only occur via gradation. However it did leave a lasting impression on me as powerful as its provocative subject matter.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Man Walking

Filming Locations:

Angola, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$118,266, 1 January 1996

Gross USA:

$39,363,635

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,363,635

Company Credits

Production Co:

Havoc, Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1