Confession The topic of the death penalty has long been the subject of numerous debates not only in society, but even in the circles of numerous directors. When some believe that such a punishment for a committed crime is truly worthy, and others believe that it is not. So many people, so many opinions. So this film is quite venerable director James Foley is another reflection on this topic from the point of view of creativity.
Frankly speaking, the film is almost the most based on the foundation of other films of this kind “Dead Man Walking” with Sean Pan and “The Last Dance” with Sharon Stone in the lead roles. But if the above two films use almost identical style of storytelling, this film directed by James Foley is something fresher and different.
Wanting to recreate on the screen elements of not only the genre of drama, but also a detective thriller, the director of the film James Foley unambiguously brought a certain dignity to the picture. As the film moves in parallel in two different directions. When, on the one hand, the film immerses us in the topic of the expediency of capital executions as punishment for the crime committed and the inner world of the convicted hero Gene Hackman, and on the other hand, it allows us to observe with interest what previously unknown facts surface during the investigation and whether they will help to achieve an exculpatory factor. We cannot say that all this is done perfectly. Because sometimes the film frankly lacks depth, and sometimes even some dynamism. However, the film still looks very interesting.
As someone who has not read the original novel by iconic writer John Grisham, it is very difficult for me to determine how worthy a film adaptation of the novel is. However, Grisham’s distinctive handwriting and style is particularly evident in the story itself. In many ways, evoking certain parallels with his creation of Time to Kill and the subsequent film adaptation starring Matthew McConaughey. When the foundation of history is again not only the judicial themes, but the question of the possibility and expediency of justifying the crime committed. The characters are a bit caricatured, but reveal well in the finale. The story is a little fabulous, but ennobled against the background of the correct from the point of view of life realities of the finale.
Jean Hackman played a great role in this film. Of course, being familiar with the work of such a talented actor, it becomes obvious that the actor could play much more expressive and impressive. However, the character performed by Hackman turned out to be very lively and soulful. Especially against the background of how he created the image of a disgusting and harsh destroyer of other people's fates, his character changes so much throughout the film and the last 15-20 minutes in the performance of Hackman are simply magnificent. A rather ambiguous impression was made by Chris O’Donnell, who seemingly played his role quite well and his game does not cause much negativity. However, the expressive character, alas, did not turn out and this grayness of such an important character in the framework of the story did not allow the picture to become better than it is.
7 out of 10
The camera is another adaptation of the novel by one of the most read writers of our time, John Grisham, which again reflects all that his work is loved by fans. A trial with subsequent compassion for the convict, a dizzying investigation that reveals what happened from a completely different side and a rather unusual symbiosis of the genres of drama and thriller. That ultimately finds quite worthy implementation in the framework of the work done by director James Foley.