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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Recently, I watched Dean Man Walking. After watching the film, I pondered how one should feel about watching someone die after a heinous crime they committed. Does one feel relief because an evil person in the court of the law has been executed? Does one still feel anger as they know that no matter what happened, the person they lost will never return and have a life they could’ve lived? What are all the emotions in the room, and what emotions does the prisoner feel? Do they regret anything that they have done, or they like fuck it and are defiant to the very end? Where does faith play in all of this? How does one communicate with their maker knowing they are about to die? Does one get a spiritual adviser to help them through this process? How does one talk to both the victims and the person who committed the crimes?
Dead Man Walking is directed by Tim Robbins, a crime film about a sister and her relationship with a death row inmate. Matthew Poncelet (Penn) is a racist, arrogant, sexist, scum of the earth man who has no remorse for his actions. He is sentenced to death for the murder of a teenage couple. He has been on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary for six years. His partner in crime, Carl Vitello, was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. As Matthew’s execution date draws closer, he writes a letter asking for a lawyer and someone to talk to. The letter is received by Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon), and she decides to visit the prison and Matthew. Even though Sister Helen has never been a spiritual advisor, she decides to take on the task of helping Matthew through his final appeal and execution. As she works with Matthew, she soon sees that her own faith and morals are tested to the very end.
I really don’t know how Sister Helen Prejean did it. The film explores the thoughts of the death penalty and how one reflects on their actions and the extreme toll it took on Sister Prejean. With Sister Prejean, she answers a correspondence from Matthew Poncelet. He was sentenced to death for the murder of a teenage couple and has been on death row for the last six years. What I like about this film is that it shows the struggle that Sister Prejean has to go through morally and personally. Morally, she is a person of the church and should help people forgive. She believes God is good and will forgive. Honestly, she is just doing the task she signed up for, and I can’t hate her for it.
Personally, Matthew committed a major crime, and he is beyond racist, which reflects upon her. The first thing that she has to deal with is that homegirl lives in Louisiana and that she helps in a black community and makes sure black children have someone to talk to. You know how many black people live in that state? Don’t get me started on NOLA. Love me some NOLA, but when the community learned that she was a spiritual adviser for Matthew, who went on a racist rant on TV, the community started to shun her. The film showed how she was personally affected when she tried to get the sentence commuted and started getting to know everyone involved. She gets to know Poncelet’s mother, Lucille, and the families of the two victims. This is where conflict comes in. The victims’ families think she is there to talk and grieve with them, but when they learn that she is Matthew’s spiritual adviser, they believe she is taking his side and really not a person of the church.
As Sister Prejean deals with everything, I thought Robbins presented the crimes effectively where it’s almost two different stories, but at the end, you believe both men should die. First, the film shows the murdered girl at her wedding. You see her smile and how happy she is, and it makes you sympathize with the girl. Then the film quickly shows the dead girl’s body, presented in black and white. This style of delivering the victims is presented periodically through the film. When Sister Prejean is escorted to the prison, we see black and white images of Matthew and Carl committing the crime. It shows Matthew as the reluctant one as the scene flashes through pictures of the victims and their eyes in the photos. Robbins puts a bow on this storytelling by showing what really happens as Matthew is about to be executed. Before the clock hits midnight, the scene shows what really happened to the young couple. The boy watched as Matthew and Carl raped the daughter and held down the boy as he watched and screamed. It’s a vile scene as both Mattew and Carl take turns until Carl stabs the girl and shoots the boy. Right here, it makes you realize that Matthew and Carl both deserve to die.
Also, the film shows powerfully the effects of the interactions between Sister Prejean and Matthew and the bond that they form even though one walks in the “light” of God and the other, you know, is going to hell. When Sister Prejean and Matthew talk, the camera really displays their emotions as it gets incredibly close and personal to their faces. During these interactions, you see that Matthew is filled with hate and tries to have this tough-guy persona. He really doesn’t back down from anyone and lets his thoughts and emotions known to Sister Prejean. She, on the other hand, in there as almost a therapist. She talks to him, and they really form a connection with each other until the end. As Matthew is put to death, the camera pans closely on his eyes and Sister Prejean’s eyes as his life leaves. Sister Prejean reaches out to show that she is there for him. Just like that, dude is gone.
I want to say that Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen Prejean was phenomenal! Homegirl brought her A-game, which showed in her emotions and how she presented herself. She got upset when she needed to, but she was one of the most caring people in the film and tried her best to comfort everyone.
Sean Penn as Matthew Poncelet was excellent, even though I hated his character. He is arrogant, sexist, racist, and does not even pretend to feel an ounce of remorse. These are the reasons that you feel like he should die. You meet his family, who has a young Jack Black. When you meet Matthew, he is unbearable, and it makes you question why Sister Prejean fights for him to have his sentence reduced to life in prison.
I want to also take a second to applaud Tim Robbins. When I first saw his name, I was like, “naw, dude didn’t direct this.” Yet, I was entertained by how he presented this story and the use of black and white imagery to show some horrors for the film. He made you feel for one character and despise another character until the very end.
Dead Man Walking is one of those films that will have you thinking about the death penalty and if you should really forgive anyone for a heinous crime. It will make you think and wonder and honestly almost choose a side in the situation or wonder why the main character is doing what she is doing. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn were excellent in their respective roles and were a joy to watch. Robbins did a fantastic job in directing this job. After watching this film, watch some Locked Up.
