Mystic River (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Sean Penn  (306)
$8.49
|
I am Sam (New Line Platinum Series) DVD ~ Sean Penn  (185)
$8.99
|
Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States by Helen Prejean (55)
$11.16
|
Philadelphia DVD ~ Tom Hanks  (108)
$10.99
|
Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Liam Neeson (599)
$14.99
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This item is not eligible for Amazon Prime, but millions of other items are. Join Amazon Prime today. Already a member? Sign in.
Format: 
|
|||||||||||||
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
See all 110 customer reviews...
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential video
Superbly adapted and directed by Tim Robbins from the nonfiction book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, this spiritually enlightened drama is too intelligent to traffic in polemics or self-righteous pontifications against the death penalty. But in examining the issue of capital punishment from a humanitarian perspective, the film urges thoughtful reflection on the justifications for legally ending a human life. Although it features a fine supporting cast, the film maintains its sharp focus through flawless lead performances by Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon as the Catholic nun Prejean, and Sean Penn as the death-row killer she struggles to save. Robbins avoids a biased message, letting the movie examine both sides of the issue instead (R. Lee Ermey gives a fine performance as the grief-stricken father of one of Penn's victims). As the drama unfolds and Penn's execution deadline grows near, Dead Man Walking is graced by compelling depths of theme and character, achieving an emotional impact that demands further reflection and removes the stigma of piousness from socially conscious filmmaking. --Jeff Shannon
From The New Yorker
Tim Robbins' blunt, powerful movie tells the story of a murderer (Sean Penn) awaiting execution and a nun (Susan Sarandon) trying to save his soul-and, if possible, his skin. The filmmaker clearly hopes that familiarity with the grisly realities of capital punishment will finally breed contempt for the idea of premeditated, state-sponsored killing. And although the picture sometimes turns clunky and flat, as if it were sagging under the weight of its good intentions, it winds up being devastatingly effective. Ultimately, the movie's power to persuade depends less on the shock of spectacle than on the shock of recognition that viewers must feel as they watch a human being prepare himself for death. Penn has to reveal, within a reckless and apparently despicable character, a salvageable soul, and he makes the erratic rhythm of the condemned man's spiritual progress seem effortless and natural: he captures the languid, insinuating tempo of grace invading a locked-up spirit. Also with Robert Prosky. Robbins' screenplay is based on a 1993 memoir by Sister Helen Prejean. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker
Superbly adapted and directed by Tim Robbins from the nonfiction book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, this spiritually enlightened drama is too intelligent to traffic in polemics or self-righteous pontifications against the death penalty. But in examining the issue of capital punishment from a humanitarian perspective, the film urges thoughtful reflection on the justifications for legally ending a human life. Although it features a fine supporting cast, the film maintains its sharp focus through flawless lead performances by Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon as the Catholic nun Prejean, and Sean Penn as the death-row killer she struggles to save. Robbins avoids a biased message, letting the movie examine both sides of the issue instead (R. Lee Ermey gives a fine performance as the grief-stricken father of one of Penn's victims). As the drama unfolds and Penn's execution deadline grows near, Dead Man Walking is graced by compelling depths of theme and character, achieving an emotional impact that demands further reflection and removes the stigma of piousness from socially conscious filmmaking. --Jeff Shannon
From The New Yorker
Tim Robbins' blunt, powerful movie tells the story of a murderer (Sean Penn) awaiting execution and a nun (Susan Sarandon) trying to save his soul-and, if possible, his skin. The filmmaker clearly hopes that familiarity with the grisly realities of capital punishment will finally breed contempt for the idea of premeditated, state-sponsored killing. And although the picture sometimes turns clunky and flat, as if it were sagging under the weight of its good intentions, it winds up being devastatingly effective. Ultimately, the movie's power to persuade depends less on the shock of spectacle than on the shock of recognition that viewers must feel as they watch a human being prepare himself for death. Penn has to reveal, within a reckless and apparently despicable character, a salvageable soul, and he makes the erratic rhythm of the condemned man's spiritual progress seem effortless and natural: he captures the languid, insinuating tempo of grace invading a locked-up spirit. Also with Robert Prosky. Robbins' screenplay is based on a 1993 memoir by Sister Helen Prejean. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker
Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed
|
Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States by Helen Prejean (55)
$11.16
|
Dead Man Walking by Helen Sister Prejean  (1)
|
Leaving Las Vegas DVD ~ Kim Adams (159)
$9.99
|
Khushi DVD ~ Kareena Kapoor
$16.00
|
Mystic River (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Sean Penn (306)
$8.49
|