DEAD MAN WALKING (1995)

Here is an interesting premise of the film. A man named Matthew Poncelet is on a death row wrote a letter to a compassionate nun to meet him in cell. He is no ordinary criminal; he is convicted on charges of killing two kids, raping a girl & stabbed her seventeen times. He proclaims during the meeting with nun that he’s not guilty, it’s his other partner named Vittelo who killed them. By the way Vittelo also claims the same. The state Government & Popular verdict is totally against the favor of Monster Matthew. He’s poor & can’t afford a good lawyer to defense his case. He’s got nobody to trust either except the nun. Who is the possible right guy deserves death & the other who deserves life is a big enigma for empathetic Sister Helen & for the audience who’s watching this flick. It’s insulting to say anything further for the film like this highlighting the theme of redemption based on Holy Bible.

Both Susan Sarandon & Sean Penn steal the show in this film along with gifted directorial craft of actor turned Writer-Director Tim Robbins. Without an iota of doubt this is Susan Sarandon’s most intense & intimate role of a lifetime to prove how fine actress she’s & it’s good that academy took notice of it by giving her well deserved Best actress trophy for her performance. Watch her expressive eyes & you come to realize how much one can act or express without uttering anything with the pair of sight only!!!
Sean Penn is absolutely brilliant actor who knows how to play both hysterics & underplay in a character like this. He also got academy nomination for his powerful performance but its different case that Nicolas Cage won the award for ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ that year. Watch his last confession expressions- “Nobody ever called me a son of God before …” & it makes your heart moves deep inside.
Witness the best ‘I Love You’ scene in the end which made my eyes wet & I’m sure it happens in your case too.

Must watch is an understatement here.
It surely a new & permanent entry in 100 movies you must watch before you die.

Ratings-9/10