Davis P Dead Man Walking (1995) is a very emotional film and some scenes, the graphic depictions of a rape and murder in particular. Even though it can be hard to watch sometimes, it still needs to be watched. This has some of the best examples of acting I've ever seen. The performances given by both Sarandon and Penn are absolutely incredible! Susan Sarandon is one of my absolute favorites and this is her best performance in my opinion. She's so emotionally raw and gives her all into every second of this performance. To me, the scene that puts these two legendary actors abilities on display the best, is when Sarandon is talking with Penn before his execution and he admits to the rape and murder. The realness and emotional heaviness of that scene was so large and it brings you into the film and makes you feel what these characters are feeling. Every scene in this film does that for me, I feel that strong emotion and the heavy weight placed upon all of these characters. You feel great sadness and anger because of the horrific crime and you understand the depth of each character and why they do what they do. This film has no 2 dimensional characters and no lazy writing, everything is carefully thought out with detail. This is one of my all time favorite films, and one I recommend to everyone that can handle the heavy subject matter. 10/10 for dead man walking. Or of the best!

SlyGuy21 Not a religious movie, not an anti-death penalty movie, but a movie about redemption. About pain, and how it affects different people. "Dead Man Walking" strikes this fine balance between sympathy and personal justice. With no real agenda of it's own, the characters all have their own ways of coping with what's happened to them, whether it be Penn hiding behind his ego, or Ermey wanting the death penalty. The film stays as neutral as it can when covering a controversial topic like this. It doesn't ask you to pick sides, or condemn those who think different, but more understand where both sides are coming from. I can see both sides of the death penalty argument, and I hope I never have to decide personally, but this doesn't portray Penn's character as an animal, more of just a person who's done something bad. He comes off as more ignorant than anything else, foolish, racist, but still a human being, and the scene where he finally admits to what part he played in the crime got some tears out of me, I'm not gonna lie. It's a sad movie, but also an inspiring one, and I think everyone should at least see it once, just to see how both sides of a subject can be portrayed

Chloe I admire any film that is brave enough to tackle controversial issues, but this film is one of a kind because it explores them in such a compelling fashion. The film pays little attention to the legal implications of the death penalty and instead focuses on the emotions behind it. Matthew Poncelet may be a murderer and a rapist, but this film dares to humanize him. And while the movie primarily focuses on him, it also explores the emotions of everyone involved: his family, the police, and even the parents of the teenager's Poncelet killed. One moment you're listening to the parents of the dead teenagers discuss the suffering they've endured, and then the next Matthew Poncelet is having difficulty walking away from his family for the last time. It makes your moral compass go haywire, but in the end it's necessary. I think the film's strongest elements are pacing and build-up. The movie begins with Poncelet on death row, and as it progresses, he tries to dodge his fate with the help of Sister Helen. Each time, however, Poncelet's proposed solutions fail, but he is quick to offer another before the viewer has given up completely. This constant 'push and pull' with the viewer mirrors Poncelet's mentality. Poncelet, because he fears the death penalty, has developed a sort of coping mechanism by latching on to these supposed solutions, being disappointed, and then moving on to the next thing. This format leads to a slow build-up as Poncelet runs out of options and viewers start to wonder if he will truly meet his fate. By the time Poncelet realizes he has no way out, the film has established a friendship between Helen and Poncelet, and viewers have gotten a glimpse into Poncelet's more favorable characteristics. This effectively causes the viewer to sympathize with Poncelet as they realize he's going to die. The most powerful scene of the film is certainly the execution scene. The somber music coupled with the slow march to the execution room as a cop shouts "Dead man walking!" are enough to put anyone on edge. Helen walks next to Poncelet and reads the Bible to him, while the policemen stare straight ahead with emotionless expressions. Even the nurse who helps administer the injection seems to be going through the motions. This helps to turn the viewer against the people who are administering the death penalty. The silence of the parents following Poncelet's apology on his deathbed makes the parents seem shallow. In the end, it seems as though the only people showing any emotion are Helen and Poncelet. Viewers can't help but feel sorry for Poncelet as he watches the lethal drugs enter his body, while Helen sits outside, her arm outstretched to show her support. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn both give outstanding performances in this scene, and throughout the film. Perhaps the film is biased towards one side of the argument, but either way, it raises questions and prompts some much-needed soul-searching for anyone brave enough to watch it.

Dale Haufrect An emotional trial is "Dead Man Walking", the 1995 film currently available on NetFlix Instant Download Streaming. It was produced by Tim Robbins, and it was written and directed by Tim Robbins. It is based on the book by Helen Prejean. Much of the story is reflective of the 1958 classic with Rita Hayward, "I Want To Live". The actors include Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky Raymond J. Barry, R. Lee Emey, Celia Weston, Lois Smith, Scott Wilson, Roberta Maxwell, Margo Martindale, Barton Heyman, Steve Boles, Nesbitt Blaisdell and Ray Aranha. The story is that of the final days on death row for an inmate, Mathew Poncelet, played by Sean Penn. Susan Sarandon plays Sister Helen Prejean who consoles Poncelet during his final days and hours. I gave it 7 stars. Dale Haufrect