Conviction
Drama based on a true story about high school dropout Betty Anne (Hilary Swank), who spent nearly two decades working as a single mother while tirelessly trying to overturn her brother Kenny's (Sam Rockwell) unjust murder conviction.
Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983. Convinced of his innocence, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice (Minnie Driver), Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor (Melissa Leo), meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest.
- Director:
- Tony Goldwyn (TV's 'Dexter', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'The L Word')
- Writer:
- Pamela Gray
- Cast:
- Sam RockwellMinnie DriverJuliette LewisClea DuVallHilary SwankAri Graynor
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressAlthough fiercely committed performances by Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell provide director Tony Goldwyn's film with a core of emotional integrity, a less heavy-handed, more informative approach would have served them and the audience better.
Total Film
pressSwank and Rockwell elevate a solid drama that tells its tall tale with, yes, conviction. It’s not exactly the whole truth, though.
The New York Times
pressIt would be easy to dismiss Conviction on the ground that it plays like a made-for-television movie, but the truth is that, as often as not, movies made for the small screen are better than this: braver, darker, more willing to explore odd corners of feeling.
Roger Ebert
pressIn Hilary Swank, the film finds the right actress to embody gritty tenacity.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe film is in the tradition of fighting-the-system stories drawn from real life such as "Erin Brokovich," and its powerful emotional appeal should draw a substantial grownup audience.
Empire Magazine
pressIt's okay in a TV movie way, but disappointing given all the obvious potential of the real story.
Dominion Post
pressSerious film-of-the-week, Conviction is a slightly jumbled telling of the true story of brother and sister Kenneth and Betty-Anne Waters.
Even tho you know whats gonna happen at the end of the movie, i didnt know how and when, it is amazing this womans struggle to free her wrongly convicted brother of murder. the whole movie i was like when is he gonna get out. its a touching story to watch like erin brokovitch and i think it does it justice
Although slowly paced, (I found myself getting a little distracted by my friends in the cinema) the film is very decent. Nothing new, and you can see the outcome, but there are a few moments of some really great performance that drive the film on. Because it is based on a true story it needed to stick to the real circumstances, but there are some decent...
Brother and sister from a disfunctional family grow up in constant contact with the law. Little wonder the brother ends up in prison and no surprise his sister thinks he's innocent. The criminal apprenticeship of the siblings is well described by the film. A good film which could have been great but for Hilary Swanks and Minnie Driver who together make an...
Variety
pressAlthough fiercely committed performances by Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell provide director Tony Goldwyn's film with a core of emotional integrity, a less heavy-handed, more informative approach would have served them and the audience better.
Total Film
pressSwank and Rockwell elevate a solid drama that tells its tall tale with, yes, conviction. It’s not exactly the whole truth, though.
The New York Times
pressIt would be easy to dismiss Conviction on the ground that it plays like a made-for-television movie, but the truth is that, as often as not, movies made for the small screen are better than this: braver, darker, more willing to explore odd corners of feeling.
Roger Ebert
pressIn Hilary Swank, the film finds the right actress to embody gritty tenacity.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe film is in the tradition of fighting-the-system stories drawn from real life such as "Erin Brokovich," and its powerful emotional appeal should draw a substantial grownup audience.
Empire Magazine
pressIt's okay in a TV movie way, but disappointing given all the obvious potential of the real story.
Dominion Post
pressSerious film-of-the-week, Conviction is a slightly jumbled telling of the true story of brother and sister Kenneth and Betty-Anne Waters.
Even tho you know whats gonna happen at the end of the movie, i didnt know how and when, it is amazing this womans struggle to free her wrongly convicted brother of murder. the whole movie i was like when is he gonna get out. its a touching story to watch like erin brokovitch and i think it does it justice
Although slowly paced, (I found myself getting a little distracted by my friends in the cinema) the film is very decent. Nothing new, and you can see the outcome, but there are a few moments of some really great performance that drive the film on. Because it is based on a true story it needed to stick to the real circumstances, but there are some decent...
Brother and sister from a disfunctional family grow up in constant contact with the law. Little wonder the brother ends up in prison and no surprise his sister thinks he's innocent. The criminal apprenticeship of the siblings is well described by the film. A good film which could have been great but for Hilary Swanks and Minnie Driver who together make an...
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