Customer Reviews

The Execution of Raymond Graham

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't expect much from this movie, particularly because I'd watched another movie which focused on the death penalty beforehand and it was awful and cheesy. That movie was called 'Dead Man Walking.'

What a pleasant surprise that such a real story could actually be portayed in such a moving way, and yet still keep the dark edge of the subject that always was there.
We're taken inside prison walls with Raymond Graham, a seemingly confident man with a witty sense of humour which is unusual for someone who is about to be put to death for the murder of a seventeen year old convenience store worker. He is a man who doesn't realise just how serious his fate is and is still holding out hope of being saved, and as the clock ticks on, his confidence cracks, but never fades completely.

The acting of this movie is wonderful. Especially Jeff Fahey who plays Raymond. You could almost believe you were watching a documentary rather than a movie if you go by the acting of the serious yet lighthearted man whom he portrays.

Most of all, this movie is straight to the point. No messing around.
This is a film version of the execution of Raymond Graham. It's a true story, it's and it may open your eyes to just what people on death row go through before their hour of doom and how even when they have people surrounding them, willing to talk before they're led inside the injection room, they know that in the end they're not on their side, and how you can still feel alone even if you're in a conversation.
And of course, that when faced with the grim reality of death, every man has fear in his heart.
Raymond Graham - perhaps one of the more meaningful and deeper prisoners on death row. Just view the movie and see if you don't shed a few tears and feel the sting of compassion as you watch feel as if you're in the jail cell with him.

A very good movie - highly recommended.

This is an intriguing, claustrophobic film that could very well be a play. It has that feel. It that will have you examining the death penalty and its repercussions from all angles. It allows you to see the repressed and harried emotions behind the family members of the convicted, those of the young victim, and the diligence of the law officials who are trying their best to help Raymond. The big draw here is Jeff Fahey as Raymond, who goes through all the sensations of a man on death row, anxiously awaiting the phone call that may mean his stay of execution. The movie isn't one sided, it allows you to reflect on the position of either side, because in the end, there seemed to be no black and white answer and you are left to decide, is it legalized murder, or true justice for the crime committed?

However, I haven't seen White Hunter, Black Heart, yet. Time will tell.

Fahey looks so young in this one, and I do not remember the year of it's creation. The description stated that Raymond Graham, on the day of his execution, goes from cocky to terrified. This was very well evinced by
Fahey. Pretty intense, and I imagine much like what any man would experience in those shoes.

With a start up like this, I would have thought Jeff Fahey would have
carried onward and upward, but for some reason he chose B Movie Sheol.

This has the look of the era, shot on videotape, not film, but that only serves to make it seem a little more "real".

Hey, Jeff, what happened?