User reviews

Outstanding performances, no question about that, but the long dragged out scenes, slow pacing, and 112 mins, made this film feel like it was never going to end. Add to that its depressing nature, you start begging for it to end. Many times I had to fast forward a scene where the character would just be staring into space forever. I get that it's supposed to build suspense, but it was just way to long, too many times, the silence became annoying. Cinematography was excellent, and the score on point. And the conceptual story was well put together, but the long screenplay flawed it. Had this film's pacing been faster, and many of the dragged out scenes edited/cut down, I would have enjoyed this much better. Sadly, it's only a 6/10 from me

... by Alfre Woodward in a devastating film about inhumanity - presiding over death row executions takes its toll as she, the governor, witnesses first hand, the brutality of a world trying to be just and fair but failing badly.

What turned out to be a promising start, sadly the ending wasn't that satisfying to me. Nevertheless, exceptional performance by the cast, mainly by Aldis Hodge, Alfre Woodard and Alex Castillo. This film literally brought tears to my eyes.

Greetings again from the darkness. You surely complain about your job. Most everyone does. But what if your career path had led you to oversee a dozen court-mandated executions, and the next one was already scheduled? In her first feature film, writer-director Chinonye Chukwu takes us inside the world of Warden Bernadine Williams, who manages a maximum-security prison, including inmates on death row. It's the rare film in this sub-genre that doesn't preach anti-death penalty politics, and instead focuses on the emotional toll it takes on those who must carry out the sentence.

Warden Williams (Alfre Woodard) is a seasoned prison professional who keeps her emotions in check, while sticking to policies and procedures. She is a restrained, often stoic person - both at work and at home. Early in the film, a lethal injection goes awry, and the warden finds this inexcusable. She wants answers and she prepares to make sure the next one scheduled ... for inmate Anthony Woods ... goes smoothly. Aldis Hodge plays Mr. Woods, a death row inmate for 15 years. His execution date is fast approaching despite his claims of innocence and the evidence showing he was not the one who killed the police officer. Woods' attorney (Richard Schiff) has informed him that his last strand of hope is a decree of clemency by the governor.

Bernadine's job involves dealing with family members, protestors, lawyers, media, guards, medical staff, procedures, final statements ... and even the search for veins. The stress is obviously taking a toll, and even her home life is a wreck. Husband Jonathan (Wendell Pierce) is frustrated at her aloofness. He's a high school teacher and reads a passage of "Invisible Man" to his class - words that hit home for him. Bernadine must also deal with the prison priest (Michael O'Neill) and the two share a powerful moment that relays the strain on both. Bernadine speaks matter-of-factly to Mr. Woods as she outlines the procedure of his execution. In another powerful moment, Mr. Woods attempts to exercise his last bit of control over his life and death. It's brutal to watch.

Even though the death sentence is for convict Anthony Woods, most every other person involved expresses some desire to retire or walk away. This speaks clearly to the burden associated with taking the life of another human being. In a meeting with his former partner Evette (Danielle Brooks), Woods is given hope of a legacy outside of crime, while Evette expresses what she needs to him. This life is no fairy tale, and hard edges and difficult moments are around every corner.

Ms. Woodard has long been an underrated actress. Her only Oscar nomination came in 1983, and she has been outstanding in most roles since TV's "St Elsewhere" in the 1980's. She manages to convey humanity and realism in most every character she plays. Mr. Hodge starred in the title role of BRIAN BANKS earlier this year, and in both roles, he possesses a strength of character that allows the audience in. In Ms. Chukwu's film, both are isolated in some way and struggling with how to deal.

Although the film spends very little time on the question of guilt or innocence, or whether the death penalty is a law of morality that fits within society, the approach of examining the psychological impact of those involved proves worthy of discussion. We do wish the script had not delivered such stand-off characters ... ones so difficult to connect with. But perhaps that's the inevitability of the environment - one that cuts much deeper than following the ritual of preparing for the next execution.

I seem to agree with most of the other reviews. The acting was first rate; however it was very slow and the ending left a LOT to be desired.

My Review- Clemency My Score 6.5/10

I watched this film only to see the performance of Alfre Woodard who stars as Bernadine Williams. Alfre has just received a Best Actress nomination from the British Academy Film Awards for a very difficult and dramatic role. I have one question was her nomination a race balance decision or was it at the expense of Carey Mulligan in " Promising Young Woman" ? I have my view but admit Alfre Woodward does give a fine performance but I've seen finer this year. The movie Clemency written and directed by Chinoye Chukwa who was inspired to write the film after the widely protested execution of Troy Davis in Georgia in 2011. Her six years of research included running a film programme for inmates in Ohio and advocating for retrials in unsafe cases. It's inconceivable to me as I find the concept of human execution horrific that ten years after Chinoye Chukwa started the project that the Donald Trump in the lead up to leaving The White House could approve 6 executions in one month before the Biden inauguration. This movie is tough to watch especially the beginning snd I think that's why I didn't get any hope from the story or any empathy with the main character Bernadine the Head Warden on Death Row where she "has just being doing her job" after years of carrying out death row executions that now have taken a toll on the emotional life of Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate Anthony Woods played so well by Aldis Hodge. Another good performance also from Richard Schiff as Marty Lumetta who's advocating for clemency for his client Anthony . Another film on the same subject "Mercy" 2019 is far superior to "Clemency " it starred Michael B Jordan and was totally ignored by BAFTA and OSCAR and we all know it's not always the best film or performances that get the accolades. Due to the film's heavy subject matter and sometimes depressing tone, director Chinonye Chukwu made sure to keep the tone on set happy and light, and checked in on actors between takes. I can understand why because Clemency is heavy and depressing in contrast to "Mercy" a true story that did have some very dramatic and hard to watch scenes but left the audience uplifted and hopeful of change . It's very encouraging to read that Civil rights groups are pushing Joe Biden to fulfill promise of ending the death penalty.

Alfre Woodard gives an award worthy performance in this stark and depressing movie about capital punishment.

I know there are arguments for and against capital punishment, and I'm not entirely sure where I land on the subject, though I'm much more against than for. I do know that every time I actually see or read something about what's involved to actually put someone to death, it leaves me almost nauseated. "Clemency" opens with the execution by lethal injection of a death row prisoner, and it's incredibly disturbing to watch. To know that there's a whole system and process that exists for the sole purpose of ending the life of another human being just feels wrong, no matter what arguments there may be on the other side. This film obviously thinks so too, and doesn't even attempt to address any other point of view.

It's an awfully uneven movie. The scenes set in the prison that show Woodard's warden character battling with the inhumanity her role asks of her are very good. But the domestic scenes that detail her troubled relationship with her husband and a long scene involving two other characters (a man condemned to death, played by Aldis Hodge, and the mother of his child) veer off into clunky melodrama.

A good but not great film, most worth watching for Woodard's performance.

Grade: B+

"Clemency" is a magnificent film and I would not be surprised to see its star, Alfre Woodard was really, really good in the lead and I would expect to see her nominated for an Oscar for her performance. So why in the heck does the film currently have an overall score of 5.8?! What is the reason for this, as the movie is exceptionally well made. Perhaps people are voting against it for reasons other than the quality of the picture....that's the only thing that makes sense to me.

Woodard plays Warden Williams, a by the book woman who runs a prison where they perform executions. In both cases in the film, the lethal injection is done VERY realistically...so much so that it's a bit difficult to watch. But this is the reason....because the film is not just about the death penalty but how it impacts on the people who perform them. You see the Warden falling apart from the experiences, but you also see how the Chaplin and guards and the Deputy Warden are impacted as well. So, instead of just being an anti-capital punishment film, it's far, far deeper....making the story a difficult but rewarding experience.

Overall, a quality film in nearly every way and the reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 was one scene--where the overuse of the handycam (the 'unsteady cam') in one nauseating scene where the roving camera was unwelcome and didn't fit in with the rest of the otherwise well-filmed picture.

First Hit: The slow eruption of sorrow by Alfre Woodard as Warden Bernadine Williams is formidable.

Make no mistake, this is Woodard's film from beginning to end. As the warden of a prison that executes the individuals on death row, she faces up to her with a commitment to her job, strength, and affected vulnerability.

The film begins with Warden Williams presiding over an execution. The medical orderly botches needle insertion attempts. The camera focuses on Williams' face almost the whole time, and by reading the barely visible changes in expression, we know she's a percolating pot of unexpressed feelings.

Williams is married to Jonathan (Wendell Pierce), who is a high school teacher. We only find out about his work late in the film, but the scene where he's reading to his students provides a good indication of the depth and quality of the man he is.

There are moments the film explores their relationship with scenes in their home, and what we see is a man doing his best to reach out to his wife, and she is barely able to respond.

Bernadine is loyal to her job. She knows it is essential, but her own awareness that the job is eating her alive is minimal. When she's engaging prisoners, especially Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge), are both practical and carry an underlying heartfelt caring.

The focus of this story is between the time of the early botched execution and the execution of Woods. The story uses Major Logan Cartwright's (LaMonica Garrett) difficulty after the botched execution as to the power of responsibility to do one's job of pushing the buttons of death. There is this side story of Chaplain Kendricks (Michael O'Neill), who is the Chaplain that is there to assist the doomed prisoners. There is the anti-execution attorney Marty Lumetta (Richard Schiff) pleading to stay Woods's execution because evidence shows he probably wasn't the killer and because of the previously botched execution. Then there is Woods's own story and the effect of discovering he has a son just before his day of execution.

All of these stories are etched in Williams' face as she painfully goes through her duties of Warden.

The scene with Woods in his cell, trying to hurt himself, is painful to watch. I had to turn away for part of it. When Woods meets up with the mother of his son, her story of why she did what she did was so compelling. Deputy Warden Thomas Morgan's (Richard Gunn) support of Williams is shown in several scenes. The bar parking lot scene in which he asks for keys is reflective of his caring, help, and support.

The film, because the subject is dark, is mostly shot in darker tones. The Williams' home is not infused with light, the prison and prison walls are realistically portrayed in generic faded government colors. The yellow lines border each hallway in prison, guiding prisoners where they can walk, is poignantly shown.

However, the film is very slow-paced, and at times, I did want it to jump forward, but I also understand why it was done this way.

Woodard gives a career-defining performance. The subtle movements in her expressions, eyes, and body movement tell a compelling story, and it surely deserved an award nomination. Garrett was terrific as this hulking strong guard that had to succumb to his inner voice about participating in another execution. Pierce was extraordinary in his role as Bernadine's husband. Schiff was terrific as the prisoner rights attorney. O'Neill was perfect as the Chaplain. Hodge was remarkable and fantastic as the prisoner wrongly accused of murder facing death by execution. Gunn was excellent as a caring Deputy Warden. Chinonye Chukwu wrote and directed this film with both heart and intention. When the state takes a life, it affects everyone involved, including our society.

Overall: This was a study in outstanding acting by Woodard.

I must've missed the beauty and message of this film along with my family who found this movie to be absolutely dull and uninteresting (people fell asleep on it). There was no real plot and it felt more like watching a nearly two hour reality show or documentary about a day in the life of a warden more than anything else. I wasn't sure who to empathize with the most or where to place any emotional or mental energy among the characters, except those who were given the death sentence. The most important questions we asked were the ones that didn't have any answers or very little answers. I'd hope to like this because the exceptional Alfre Woodard was the lead I enjoy watching her work. But despite the fact that she carried it well (along with the supporting actors) with what she was given, unfortunately it wasn't enough to save this film from its utter lack of appeal.

Most of the low scores are from Americans who are bored with this subject because they are being bombarded with mix info about death penalty on everyday news. I am based in more civilized part of the world - West Europe and l like this film a lot. It was a great portrait of internal battle.

Might sound stupid, but this feature film about the walk of dead men, and the accumulating stress on all the people that administrates and overview the procedures, which must be a beast of burdain over long time.

its a harsh, depressive , but still a watchable dramafilm. its very well made and the introsequence are mindblowing in its silence and tension.

its a recommend from the grumpy old man.

There just wasn't enough substance in this film to keep it interesting. The warden is obviously conflicted about her role in carrying out death sentences but there is no real bond between her and the death row inmate as suggested in the synopsis I read. There are some good actors in it but the script is severely lacking, much of the dialogue is just boring and many of the interactions between characters are drawn out with very little drama to keep things interesting.

"Clemency" is one roller coaster of a ride film that challenges your take and feelings on our current state of justice, that being the hot button topic of capital punishment. And this is a showcase showing how one prison warden named Bernadine Williams(in a strong turn from Alfre Woodard) deals with the emotional and mental toll that doing executions at her prison takes on her. Thru it all after each death of an inmate by lethal injection and with the media and society always on the watch Bernadine starts to experience emotional drama and even have self doubt as her job is really starting to affect her. As being strong and by the book is starting to give her self doubt and her mind takes on a guilt like complex. Overall okay film that give rise and awareness to a social justice issue as it shows it's impact and emotional toll on people and society.

Well, this one is a downer. It seems the aim of "Clemency" is more to solicit pity for its protagonist warden (Alfre Woodard in a performance some say was snubbed of an Oscar nomination) rather than be a polemic on capital punishment, although it's certainly an ugly portrait of the procedure--focusing mostly on how killing convicted men affects the warden, but also the other staff, the condemned men and those close to them, as well as a family of a man allegedly murdered by one of them (Aldis Hodge) sentenced to receive lethal injection. There are no courtroom or lawyerly heroics here (e.g. "Just Mercy," also released in 2019 and which I've recently reviewed) or last-minute-rescue by journalist investigation ("True Crime" (1999), say) or some such thing. There's only the depressing reality of the death penalty, which continues to be practiced in much of the United States.

It's easy enough to sympathize with the trauma Woodward's warden goes through, and the actress is fine in the role, although the lengthy close-up on her near the end arguably goes on for too long--albeit, as do other scenes in the movie--seemingly to tease out the tragedy of the situation. But, this character is an aging middle-class professional (you know the characters have some money when they sit down at a dinner table for the typical meal in such movies of wine and veggies) who lives only with her husband (Wendell Pierce). He speaks of the option of them retiring or moving. She angrily resists either despite the blatant psychological problems, including insomnia, she's experiencing from her career. It's hard to empathize with someone with such considerable mobility and wealth who nonetheless refuses to quit a job that's clearly harming her and her marriage--not to mention the morality of state-sanctioned executions. Another character, the lawyer (Richard Schiff), decides to retire from peddling hope, along with the fame and martyrdom promised by others, to the condemned. Heck, one of the warden's employees applies to be a warden at a prison that doesn't execute prisoners; why doesn't she do the same. As she informs hubby, she only wants him to know what pain such work causes her. The same is essentially told to the spectator with such showy filmmaking as that late long take of Woodward's face. Message received, I guess, but there are better options available, including as to what movie to see.

There have been many movies about death row . Most , are very emotive as we see a human being put to death with a law that is so barbaric and outdated that it beggars belief that a so called modern country like American still continues it. Most of these films focus on the inmate who is to be executed. Until now...

Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.

There are some great performances in this film . Especially from Alfre Woodard but I have to admit that where sympathy lies with the person being put to death in other films , I found it hard to be sympathetic with the person carrying out the execution. Why should I ?

I understand all to well the process of stress , depression and anxiety and Woodard nails it but sympathy when she's about to put a lethal injection into someone? No sir .

While this is a good movie , If you want to a see a better film on a similar subject , watch Just Mercy. A movie that really does have you sympathising with the right person.

Judging from the relatively few votes it appears that not many have seen this movie. It is done very well but moves along quite deliberately. It is a fictional story inspired by real people and real events. It is mainly a character study of the warden, a woman, who for some years has been regularly required to preside over the execution of death row inmates after their appeals have run out. She has gotten very clinical about it, in one scene she is questioning the next one scheduled in a couple of days, asking if anyone wants to bury him, or what the prison will do "with the body" almost as if she were talking to someone other than the inmate.

This is an indication of how the psychology of her job has affected her, hardened her, and devolving into a seemingly inability to connect romantically with her husband, a professor. When he suggests they might retire and get different jobs, the change might do them good, she retorts that hers isn't just a job, it is her profession.

The movie also addresses the character of the condemned inmate, 15 years after a crime. What he is going through as his lawyer tries to gain clemency for him, at the same time trying to prepare himself for the execution if it comes to that.

This is a good movie of a difficult story, I am glad that I watched it, at home on DVD from my public library.

"Clemency" is a compelling and hard-hitting film that you don't see coming. A dark, poignant and original story with a haunting performance from Alfre Woodard. . In this drama, a warden prepares to execute another inmate and must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates. . "Clemency" is not an easy film to watch. It is clear here that writer/director Chinonyne Chukwu wants you to feel as if you're stuck in a prison of the mind with the main character, and she achieves just that. Aldis Hodge delivers another great and profound performance and probably his best up to now. The real deal here is seeing the decline in Alfre Woodard's character and how she deals with her own life outside the prison. This film really hit hard and I'm still thinking about it's impact. . Follow @snobmedia for more reviews!

"I am invisible, understand, because people refuse to see me."....This excerpt from the prologue of Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel Invisible Man is mentioned during a seemingly inconsequential moment in Chinonye Chukwu's sophomore feature effort, "Clemency," yet its essence reverberates through every frame. 2019 has been filled with films about wrongly incarcerated men, from Destin Daniel Cretton's stirring fact-based drama, "Just Mercy," to Terrence Malick's poetic meditation on righteous sacrifice. As prison warden Bernadine (Woodard) walks dutifully to work down a corridor during the opening moments of Chukwu's film, a barred security door framed in the foreground slams shut behind her. It's one of numerous instances in the film where ace cinematographer Eric Branco makes Bernadine appear as incarcerated as the doomed men she councils. The disconnect that has grown between the warden and her husband, Jonathan (Wendell Pierce), causes him to dub her an empty shell, yet there's a sense that Bernadine has attempted to shield him from the demons that cause her to bolt upright in bed at night. What follows is one of the most harrowing death scenes ever put on film, and what makes it extraordinary is the fact that we experience it solely through the expressions of Bernadine. As Marty tells Anthony during their final moments together, all any of us ever want is to be seen and heard, and the crowds of protestors lining up daily to loudly condemn his client's fate provide undeniable proof that news of the injustice has spread throughout the world. Of course, this is little consolation for a prisoner forced to spend the majority of his days in silence and solitude, yet when Anthony is strapped to a crucifix-like chair and given his lethal injection, it's as if his pain and anguish is injected directly into Bernadine. For the first time, she finds herself at a loss for words, just as Anthony was during her feeble attempts at interaction. You can literally spot the moment when her soul appears to have left her body. This is screen acting of a very rare sort, and "Clemency" is a vital emotional powerhouse sorely deserving of being seen. In a breathtaking three-minute shot on par with the finale of Céline Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," the camera holds on Bernadine's face as the primal horror of the procedure she has overseen for years finally sinks in, breaking through her hardened exterior until he flatlines, prompting her own body to go limp.

Slow moving drama, and though about a serious subject failed to emotionally connect with me.

I'm very disappointed across the board. The acting was pretty good. Very good at times. But so much of the movie's "energy" was negative and dark. I understand that it was intended as a major dose of reality. But many opportunities were missed to round out the story and to provide valuable takeaways. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone except perhaps for capital punishment activists.

Alfre Woodard was robbed. There is no reason that this performance wasn't nominated for an Oscar. Her quiet pain is palpable. I find it tragic that more quality movies like this don't get more attention. Strong performances all around. Aldis Hodge is a rising star. Keep your eye on him.

This features a really poignant and strong effort from Alfre Woodard as the warden of a prison charged with ensuring the execution of prisoners. She, "Bernadine" is finding it increasingly more difficult to reconcile the responsibilities of her job with her own conscience and her marriage. None of these demons are helped when one such "procedure" goes awry and, though not her fault, she finds herself under increased scrutiny as Aldis Hodge's "Woods" is soon to follow. The performance elements of this from Woodard and from Wendell Pierce as her loving but increasingly exasperated husband "Jonathan" work well, creating a really quite powerful vision of a woman torn between remaining objective - she is, after all, doing her job - and of a woman increasingly appreciative of the terminal nature of her task and of her own failings and religiosity. The remainder of the drama, last minute appeals etc., works less well and Richard Schiff really doesn't deliver much at all as the convicted man's attorney "Lumetta" - a man who seems to be trying to imbue hope in a man based on wishful thinking and some far-fetched technicalities. Auteur Chinonye Chukwu takes her time with this impassioned story and that's no bad thing at times, allowing us to become a little more immersed in the character of the troubled "Bernadine". At other times, though, the pace really does need a bit of a shake. The whole isn't as good as the sum of the parts, but it's still quite a thought-provoking look at just where responsibility lies in circumstances none of us would ever want to experience.

This movie, I expected something exciting, a storyline perhaps or something thrilling. It was so extremely bad. They barely have any lines in the movie, for several scenes you can just watch an actor being silent. Its so extremely bad. Dont waste your time.