Last Dance (1996)

A lawyer assigned to the clemency case of a woman on death row finds himself forming a deep friendship with her while he tries to prevent her impending execution.

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Steven Haft (story), Ron Koslow (story)

Stars:

Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sharon Stone	...	Cindy Liggett
Rob Morrow	...	Rick Hayes
Randy Quaid	...	Sam Burns
Peter Gallagher	...	John Hayes
Jack Thompson	...	The Governor
Jayne Brook	...	Jill
Pamala Tyson	...	Linda, Legal Aid Attorney
Skeet Ulrich	...	Billy, Cindy's Brother
Don Harvey	...	Doug
Diane Sellers	...	Inmate Reggie
Patricia French	...	Guard Frances
Jeffrey Buckner Ford	...	D.A. Rusk (as Jeffrey Ford)
Dave Hager	...	Detective Vollo
Christine Cattell	...	Louise
Peg Allen	...	Helen

Storyline

Upon taking a new job, young lawyer Rick Hayes is assigned to the clemency case of Cindy Liggett, a woman convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. As Hayes investigates the background for her case, the two begin to form a deep friendship, while all the while the date for her execution draws nearer.

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Plot Keywords:

protective male | death | lawyer | murder | rural setting | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes justice is a crime

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of a number of Hollywood movies set in the American South directed by Australian director Bruce Beresford. The films include Last Dance (1996), Rich in Love (1992), Tender Mercies (1983) Crimes of the Heart (1986) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989).

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Goofs

When Rick pulls up to the party at night in his Porsche, the parking attendant runs behind his car to the driver's side. After the camera angle changes to a close-up of Rick, the attendant passes behind his car again.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Pallbearer/Barb Wire/Last Dance/The Great White Hype/The Craft (1996)

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Soundtracks

Impact
Written by I. Slaney
Courtesy of DeWolfe Music

User Reviews

Based on an Actual Case

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Last Dance

Filming Locations:

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,690,253, 5 May 1996

Gross USA:

$5,939,449

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,939,449

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1