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Conviction
| Released |
14 January 2011 |
| Director |
Tony Goldwyn |
Starring
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Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Thomas D. Mahard, Owen Campbell, Conor Donovan, Minnie Driver |
| Writer(s) |
Pamela Gray |
Producer(s)
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Tony Goldwyn, Andrew S. Karsch, Andrew Sugerman |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
107 minutes |
| Genre |
Biography, drama, thriller |
| Rating |
15A |
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An unconvincing testimony.
It’s all too easy for a dramatic real life story to turn from Oscar bait to TV Movie of the Week. On paper, Conviction treads a fine line between the two; the story may have an overriding message of hope but also a healthy dose of violence and corruption to stave off the saccharine. The calibre of stars is high with Hilary Swank centre stage next to Sam Rockwell and some interesting supporting names like Juliette Lewis and Melissa Leo. Director Tony Goldwyn has primarily worked on television (Damages, Dexter), but he acquits himself perfectly well. For the weak link here we need to look in the direction of screenwriter Pamela Gray, who has produced an unimaginative screenplay that at once provides a hagiography to Betty Anne Waters and a disservice to her story.
Swank plays Betty Anne, sister to Kenny (Rockwell), a man who has been convicted for the brutal killing of a local woman. Waters’ passionate belief that her brother is innocent spurs her on to gain a law degree so she can overturn what she believes is his wrongful conviction. The true story is not without struggle and a healthy dose of tragic irony (Kenny fell off a wall and died just months after his release- a fact that is interestingly omitted in the credit sequence round up of events) but Gray’s unswerving focus on Betty Anne’s point of view rendered in repetitious cycles of problem and quick resolution bleeds any potential tension from the story.
Under these circumstances, Hilary Swank has precious little to work with and despite her best efforts, she delivers a one note performance. This Betty Anne cannot capture the audiences imagination as an inspirational figure with little trace of wit or warmth. We may admire her efforts but it is a struggle to spend nearly two hours in her company. Particularly jarring is the fact that the unswerving faith she has in her brother is never questioned. Given Rockwell’s excellent interpretation of Kenny as a deeply scarred man constantly on the verge of violence, I found this very problematic; particularly in the light of an early bar scene where Kenny quickly jumps from being the life and soul of the party to an act of terrifying violence. Was there really no doubt in Betty Anne’s mind? It’s a question that deserved more attention.
All in all then, Conviction is an unsatisfying experience with a central performance from Swank that is worthy but sadly uninteresting. It is only just brightened by the excellent Rockwell and some equally nuanced turns by Lewis and Leo on the margins.
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Linda O’Brien |
