The riveting screenplay by rookie writer
Charles Randolph is more about the
lengths one will go in order to manipulate
our judicial system and less about the
issue of capital punishment. Kevin
Spacey stars as a brilliant philosophy
professor and a lead activist of a nonprofit
organization that adamantly opposes the
execution of convicted felons. Soon his
life falls apart after a series of atrocities
that ironically land him on death row.
Once a young Mike Wallace with PMS
(Kate Winslet) is assigned to interview
the accused rapist/murderer, the complex
plot is slowly pieced together, involving a
supposedly framed fall guy, an avaricious
attorney, a mute cowboy, a spiteful
custody battle, a brutal killing and a
Norma Rae of capital punishment.
Director Alan Parker packs a powerful
punch with the impressive performances
of an A-list cast. This thrilling murder
mystery unwinds and sends chills up
your spine by the end of the film. But to
fully enjoy this spine-chilling sensation,
you must at all costs ignore the cinematic
paradoxes that plague this film:
seemingly insignificant and
underdeveloped characters that ultimately
have key roles in the final act, as well as
the twists and turns that fall perfectly into
their contrived places when its all said
and done.