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 21 wins & 21 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 | solitary confinement | execution | capital punishment | repentance | 

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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

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

La dernière marche

Filming Locations:

Angola, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$118,266, 29 December 1995, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$39,387,284

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$83,088,295

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the victims' surnames is Delacroix. Coincidentally, this name also turns up in another drama about the death penalty, The Green Mile (1999), but there it was the name of the death row inmate played by Michael Jeter.

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Goofs

Matthew says that they shaved his left leg in case they couldn't find a vein. In subsequent shots, it has clearly not been shaved.

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Quotes

Earl Delacroix: My wife filed for divorce this afternoon. We just have different ways to deal with our son's death. Until death do us part.

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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 Wynonna Earp: No Cure for Crazy (2018)

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Soundtracks

Shadow
(1993)
Performed & Written by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Courtesy of Real World Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Incredible filmmaking

"Dead Man Walking" is a piece of incredible filmmaking. All the acting is top-notch and realistic, and the script examines the issue of the death penalty from both sides, paying equal homage to both. Above all, this is a deeply moving story of redemption, of death with dignity and loss of ego. Any film that deals this courageously and maturely with such incredibly difficult subject matter deserves a rating of 10/10. Thank you, Tim Robbins!