sol- Asked to visit a death row inmate, a middle aged nun finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the convict in question despite his heinous crimes in this well acted human drama starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. The film is never particularly subtle with its anti-death penalty agenda and it harks on a bit too much about the ease of executing a monster (rather than human being) for its own good, however, the movie also offers a terrific character study in Sarandon's benevolent nun. Throughout the film, she is haunted by flashbacks of killing an animal in her youth and the guilt that she felt at the time, which she evidently equates with Penn's situation, convicted of killing two young lovers. As Sarandon later meets with the families of Penn's victims, the situation grows even more complex for her as she finds herself unable to escape their pain but also drawn to Penn. Solid as Sarandon is in the film though with her internally divided character, Penn shines even brighter here, especially with the changes in personality that he goes through towards the end as he sees his own end approaching. The use of close-ups on the equipment in his final scene is endlessly eerie. Director Tim Robbins also does a great job framing his two leads; there are some excellent shots of them conversing through glass panels with each other's reflection (in the glass) making it appear as if they are sitting side by side. On that note, the connection between the two protagonists here is incredibly strong - much more so than one might expect from two so vastly different human beings.

Byrdz Finally watched "Dead Man Walking". Performances outstanding but Penn tends to mumble and his words are lost several times even with re-winding the tape. The use of the cigarette and handcuffs as props are mood setting.The supporting cast is very very good... believable. Penn's family members are especially well done. Jack Black is there as a brother.Robbins focuses many close-ups on Sarandon's huge liquid eyes made more liquid by the events in the plot. The effects with the screens and bars in the visiting room are effective.All in all... it's worth a watch or a re-watch but not on a day when you are feeling at all "down".

Rohit Garg This film is about how a man, played by Sean Penn, convicted of two teenagers' murder and put on death sentence, comes to terms with his conscience with the help of his spiritual mentor, a nun, played by Susan Sarandon. It unintentionally manages to put the audience in a moral dilemma and makes them feel guilty in the end for sympathizing with a rapist and murderer. Susan delivered an incredible performance trying to defend the indefensible. Her character exposes the viewers to all aspects of the case and brings the best out of Penn as a man as well. The ending is a bit morbid yet gripping & the soundtrack is one of my favorites.

Geoffrey DeLeons This is an excellent film, expertly acted and directed. So, then, why just a 7? There were critical scenes when Susan Sarandon's character, Sister Helen Prejean, did not stand up for what she believed in, nay, devoted her life to. This I found literally incredible, as law officers and family members of those murdered questioned, derided, isolated and rebuked Sister Helen. What I found so strange was that she had no answer to their hatred and hostility, and responded in a secular, if kind, way.I am not even a Christian, but in this film, Prejean could have made a powerful statement for the unconditional compassion as offered and described by Jesus Christ. Instead, she sat, staring. While I do believe it is true that real spirituality is in acts and not in words, there were critical junctures in the film where this position needed to be verbalized. It wasn't.I don't know what the reason was, for the somewhat remarkable departure from the norm, by casting nuns that do not wear habits, but it seems evident that the writer wanted to allay convention. Nuns without habits I can imagine: I'm sure it's done. Nuns without a strong awareness of and ability to defend the words and precepts of Jesus Christ, I can not.It also seems evident that the writer and director wanted to create a marked divide between the sanctimonious, condemnative character of Chaplain Farley (played by Scott Wilson) and the honest caring of Sister Prejean, but the secularism was brought to such an extreme that it sometimes seemed that Prejean did not know what, exactly, she did believe.Another lesser sin of this film is that the subject of innocence or guilt is hardly ever mentioned. I was consistently wondering why no one was trying to take a harder look at the case.In summary, it was not necessary for the film to devolve into "preachiness", but the case for revenge and hatred was given much more air time than the case for compassion and humanity. For the film to achieve a "higher level" of believability, those two latter qualities needed to be couched in the rebellious and visionary words and actions of Jesus Christ. A great opportunity was missed.