Dead Man Walking

In Louisiana, Sister Helen Prejean becomes the spiritual adviser to Matthew Poncelet, who is on death row. He denies what he did, and she works to have the sentence commuted. The film asks two questions: will this man admit it, and what does the state killing him solve. Tim Robbins directed and appears in it. The source is Helen Prejean's memoir. Susan Sarandon started the project, finding the book while shooting in New Orleans and persuading Robbins to option it. Sarandon won the Best Actress Oscar for the role. Sean Penn was nominated for Best Actor. It was Peter Sarsgaard's film debut. Poncelet is not a real person but a composite of two cases Prejean counselled: the crime is Sonnier's and the character is Willie's. On an 11 million dollar budget it grossed 83 million worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 95 percent; Roger Ebert gave it four stars and called it absorbing, surprising and technically superb. Bruce Springsteen was nominated for Best Original Song. Who it is for: viewers who want to hear the death penalty argument from both sides. Who it is not for: anyone who wants the film to take one. It gives the victims' family as much time as the condemned man and leaves the decision to you.