Conference bookie::movies

    
    
    Agreed on Penn's p[erformance. 
    
    Spoiler
    
    
    	I think the film copped out near the end in having Penn admit to
    killing the boy. That way the execution becomes justified to many
    people.
    
    ed

    This is all based on a true story. The nun continues to minister to
    death row inmates.

    Lisa

    -2 - reply to Ed
    
    
    
    Ed - you mentioned that you thought the film copped out, and I would
    have to disagree with you.  I think the point Robbins and company were
    making was that, even though he was the murderer, society is no better
    for allowing him to be killed.  Sarandon even mentioned it during her
    Academy Award speech where she said that we must find a non-violent way 
    to end violence.  I think the movie was trying to show that death row 
    inmates are typically poor and poorly represented in the justice system and
    that society must treat the question of poverty and opportunity first
    if it hopes to rectify what is an unfair system.
    
    I don't know if I agree with this view or not - I think it's too
    personal a situation - I know that if somebody killed one of my loved
    ones, I would want revenge.  However, there would have to 100% absolute
    proof.
    
    The performances by all the actors, especially Penn and Sarandon, were
    marvellous.  It must have been a tough one to film.

    As mentioned, the movie was based on a book which was based in fact. 
    If he did indeed admit to the crime in the end, it wasn't a cop out.
    Rather it was what this deperate man came to do in his 11th hour
    (literally).  Can you imagine the stress of knowing that you're going
    to be executed and then watching the clock count down?  The truth in
    the story of this movie does a far far better job of making one's blood
    run cold than any action/horror fiction that hollywood could possibly 
    dream up.  
    
    Extremely powerful movie.  Get's it's strength from the fact that it's
    based on a true story.  
    
    
    **** out of **** (without hesitation)
    
    -dave

    In an interview I saw of the nun, Helen Prejean, the Sean Penn
    character was a combination of two convicts she was spiritual advisor
    for, so there may have been some poetic license taken when
    depicting his emotions.
    
    As an interesting aside, they showed a picture of one of the two
    convicts, one Robert Willey (sp?) and he is a dead ringer (no pun
    intended) for Sean Penn. Sister Prejean said throughout the film, she 
    kept referring to Sean as Robert even when not in character because she
    sometimes forgot it wasn't the real guy.
    
    
    Marilyn 

    re .5

    The Boston Globe recently had an interview with the family of one of 
    the victims. They were angry at the way Prejean wrote about the
    murderer. They thought she was soft on him and believe that under no
    circumstances should he be protrayed as a sympathetic character. 

    I also saw a picture of the real guy, and the resemblance was amazing. 

    Lisa

    In the TV show I saw they also interviewed the family of the girl Wiley
    killed, and they are very angry. Not sure if they are the same people
    since there are actually 2 convicts she based this story on. The family
    I saw had actually been visited by Prejean, and felt she was "on their
    side" until she told then she was going to be Willey's spiritual
    advisor, then felt betrayed by her, and will not have anything to do
    with her.
    
    Interestingly enough, the one girl Willey let live (in fact, he and his
    partner returned her to the town they kidnapped her from) has met
    Prejean on her own initiative. She was angry, now just bothered that
    Prejean never interviewed her or the other victims' family before
    writing the book, but now is trying to come to terms with the idea of
    abolishing capital punishment. She is, by her own admission, "not there
    yet".
    
    
    Marilyn

    We finally saw this on video. It's powerful and disturbing, a must see
    for anyone who believes in the death penalty or who wants to feel
    better about being against it.

    Lisa

Saw this movie yesterday.  It's been a couple of weeks now since it started 
here in Tokyo.   Good movie that gave me food for thoughts

.
In the scene that one of the gards took him away to the death room, 
he declared loudly "dead man walking!".  Is that the way they do? 
Or just for the sake of the movie?