reviewed by: Charity Bishop

      

Loosely based around the notorious case of murderer rapists Robert Lee Willie and Joe Vaccaro, Dead Man Walking is a powerful story of loss and redemption. Were it not for the intensity of brief depiction of their crimes, I would recommend this to anyone in need of reminding that God's love is needed on Death Row more than anywhere else.

Sister Helen (Susan Sarandon) serves the black community in an impoverished inner city district with fortitude and grace. Willing to grant her assistance anywhere that it is needed, when a letter requesting that Death Row inmate speak with a nun is brought to the enclosure, she accepts. The man is Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn), accused of the rape and murder of a pair of teenagers along with another man who was acquitted through the intervention of a league of highly paid attorneys. Though horrified by Matthew's crimes, Sister Helen agrees to continue visiting him in prison, and to put forth his appeal to stay the death penalty. This enrages the parents of the victims, who accuse her of siding with the "monster" responsible for their tragic loss. Not a believer in capital punishment, Sister Helen does everything in her power to help Matthew, but the impending date of his execution grows near.

Knowing that it's likely their appeal will be overturned, Sister Helen turns her attentions instead to encouraging the man to find salvation in repentance. His pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic, racist comments to journalists have turned the entire community against him, inciting local prejudice against Helen, who has agreed to be his spiritual advisor in the last seven days of his life. Though the film changes names and leaves out key witnesses in the investigation, the details remain the same. Christian author and speaker Debbie Morris, one of the rape victims of the true murderer, has written a very compelling book following the aftermath of the criminal's trial and execution, but this is a nice precursor. Audiences should be forewarned that while most of the issues herein are handled with delicacy, the nature of capital punishment, the topic of rape, and other thematic elements may be difficult to handle emotionally. The film places us in Sister Helen's shoes, following her convictions and difficulty and becomes very intense in the last half hour.

Nothing about the production is overstated or made much of, but the entirety of the film relies on the acting talents of the leads. Penn begins as a cold, callous inmate but by the end, despite his crimes, has gained the audience's empathy. He still deserves to die, but our hearts mourn the process even as we wish that time could be turned back and his crimes prevented. The character of Sister Helen is profoundly remarkable in her depiction of an open-hearted Christian woman willing to forgive. There are numerous conversations about faith, repentance, salvation, and finding Jesus. Scripture is debated in a light context. We are left with the impression that Matthew does find salvation before his final hour. Helen attempts to reach out into the lives of the victim's families, conflicting her own emotions and that of the viewer as we are given a profound look into the aftermath of loss and the resulting grief. She councils them to be forgiving, and one admits that justice does not grant relief to an embittered soul.

Only one thing detracts from the film's poignancy, and that is its depiction of the crime. In the final fifteen minutes, we are finally given a glimpse of what the film has alluded to through meager flashbacks. Most of it is brief, but nevertheless disturbing as a girl is raped and killed. There are four shadowy glimpses of her nude backside spread throughout the film; she is seen struggling with her captors, being forced to the ground, and assaulted (all in far-off shots, although there's a close up of her terrified face). It's not easy to watch and could have been done without. Language is minimal, a dozen profanities at most and one use of the f-word. Dead Man Walking has some profound truths to share, but audiences should be aware that it also contains harsh thematic elements and a decided stance against capitol punishment. Given that Sister Helen is Catholic, and the Catholic Church does not support execution, this is not surprising, but depending on your feelings toward the subject, may ruffle a few feathers. It builds a good case against it, but fails to underline the benefits as well.