Friday, October 22, 2010
PHOTOS |
COMING SOON|
EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES
||HOME
Friday, October 22, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Conviction
A Brother Condemned, A Sister Emboldened
Hilary Swank as Betty Anne Waters and Sam Rockwell as Kenny Waters in the film
version of the true story of the brother and sister tandem. "Conviction"
is directed by Tony Goldwyn and written by Pamela Gray.
Fox Searchlight
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Friday,
October 22, 2010
"Conviction", which opened today in San Francisco while continuing in other U.S.
cities, is the double-edged title of a film based on a true story of a brother
and sister in Massachusetts. The title refers to the wrongful conviction
of Kenny Waters, who was released in 2001 after serving 18 years in prison for a
crime he didn't commit. The title also refers to the unwavering conviction
of Betty Anne Waters in her brother's innocence. A waitress, Ms. Waters, a
single mother of two with debts "up the wazoo", put herself through law school
and then the state's Bar Exam, becoming a lawyer, solely to free her imprisoned
brother. She continues to wait tables today.
Tony Goldwyn directs and Pamela Gray writes this smart, well-contained drama,
and the performances of Sam Rockwell and Hilary Swank in the aforementioned
roles are the powerful glue that holds this film in place. Ms. Gray's
screenplay resists melodramatic flourishes, maintaining a considerable majority
of the factual information of the real-life participants, melding them with
intelligent dialogue. What we see and hear feels genuine. The
characters' personalities and foibles come through on the big screen without
obstructing the story, which entertains, informs and fixates.
The characters may or may not be likable and the situations they are placed in
are unenviable. "Conviction" doesn't fire up a mighty outrage, though the
actors here are more than capable of doing so. Ms. Swank, who has
portrayed blue-collar true-life figures before ("Boys Don't Cry") brings a
humanity, toughness and resolute way to Ms. Waters while staying within the
parameters of the story. Ms. Swank also conveys dignity and determination
without swinging for the fences or the audience's moral righteousness button.
Often Ms. Swank has resisted varnishing a character, choosing instead to exhibit
purity over theatricality, which makes her an appealing and effective talent.
Her craft has progressed even more since winning two Oscars, and she always
brings confidence, focus and integrity to the roles she inhabits.
Mr. Rockwell simmers with brooding intensity as Kenny Waters. His
physicality shifts as his character's plight changes, and it's fascinating to
watch the transformation. In an early scene he's an unpredictable free
spirit, in a later scene, he's an explosive tinder-box. Both scenes rely
not only on Mr. Rockwell's physical comportment but also on the suspense
surrounding the way he exudes and utilizes it. Mr. Rockwell, America's
greatest current actor (Mr. Downey Jr. and Mr. Washington aside), has been adept
at this kind of shifting physicality for sometime, in roles both large and
small. He's often played cerebral or comedic-like figures whose volatility
and/or rashness know no bounds, but here the confluence of brain and brawn are
blurred.
The greatest joy of "Conviction" is not only its writing and effective direction
(Mr. Goldwyn and Ms. Gray also directed and wrote the romantic drama "A Walk On
The Moon") but in seeing these two somewhat underappreciated actors working
together onscreen. It's rare to see two relatively-under-the radar (even
with Ms. Swank's Oscars) work so well like this.
Peter Gallagher has a cameo as Innocence Project director and one-time O.J.
Simpson defense attorney Barry Scheck, and his portrayal has a sense of comedy
to it amidst the serious circumstances. It is likely unintended levity on
Mr. Gallagher's part, but every time you see him on screen, you get the feeling
that either you or he is about to burst out into laughter. I've met and
spoken to Mr. Scheck in person and he's a more direct and incisive person than
the onscreen portrayal, but I bet Mr. Gallagher had a lot of fun playing him.
With: Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Ari Graynor, Clea Du Vall, Juliette Lewis,
Loren Dean, Conor Donovan, Karen Young, Owen Campbell, Tobias Campbell, Bailee
Madison, John Pyper-Ferguson.
"Conviction"
is rated R by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for language and some violent images. The film's
running time is one hour and 46 minutes.
FOLLOW
SUBSCRIBE TO THE POPCORN REEL MOVIE
REVIEWS RSS FEED
