Dead Man Walking (1995)

Director:

Tim Robbins

Writers (WGA):

Helen Prejean (book)
Tim Robbins (written by)

Release Date:

12 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Teaching Empathy | Catholic Priest | Female Nudity | Roman Catholic

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Susan Sarandon	...	Sister Helen Prejean
Sean Penn	...	Matthew Poncelet
Robert Prosky	...	Hilton Barber
Raymond J. Barry	...	Earl Delacroix
R. Lee Ermey	...	Clyde Percy
Celia Weston	...	Mary Beth Percy
Lois Smith	...	Helen's mother
Scott Wilson	...	Chaplain Farlely
Roberta Maxwell	...	Lucille Poncelet
Margo Martindale	...	Sister Colleen
Barton Heyman	...	Capt. Beliveau
Steve Boles	...	Sgt. Neal Trapp
Nesbitt Blaisdell	...	Warden Hartman
Ray Aranha	...	Luis Montoya
Larry Pine	...	Guy Gilardi

MPAA:

Rated R for a depiction of a rape and murder.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34133) | Iceland:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Angola, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Havoc

Trivia:

When director Tim Robbins needed songs written for the film, he simply sent a cut of the film to several noted composers, among them Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle and asked for a song.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The chemicals used in lethal injections in Louisiana are administered manually, not by a machine as in the movie.

Quotes:

Matthew Poncelet: It's quiet. Only three days left. Plenty of time to read my Bible and look for a loophole.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "30 Rock: The Source Awards (#1.16)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Isa Lei

The Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn Show

"Dead Man Walking" deals with one nun's struggle (Susan Sarandon in her Oscar-winning part) to help a convicted death row inmate (Sean Penn in an Oscar-nominated role) come to terms with his imminent execution. Writer-director Tim Robbins does something very difficult in this film, he makes us care about the unsympathetic character that Penn plays. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn dominate the film in every aspect imaginable, they play a complicated chess match at times and eventually become close friends by the end of the picture. The fact that Sarandon and Robbins are openly against the death penalty in real life just adds to this film. Their strong opinion on the subject leads to an unforgettable motion picture that is made well and performed well by the two leads. 4.5 out of 5 stars.