Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
DipitySkillful
an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.
Seraherrera
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Ella-May O'Brien
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
shanewilliamfitzgerald
THIS MOVIE IS SO WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS. IVE KNOWN MANDY'S AUNT SINCE BEFORE SHE WAS BORN. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING WITH MANDYS AUNT HER AND SHE WAS UPSET BECAUSE BRENDA SHOWED UP AT HER HOUSE WITH THE KIDS HYSTERICAL, CLAIMING MANDY'S DAD SHOWED UP AT BRENDA APARTMENT COVERED IN BLOOD BRAGGNG ABOUT THE MURDERS. THE PORTRAYAL OF BENDA IS JUST AWEFUL. INSTEAD OF THE WOKING MOM SHE WAS RAISING HER TWO CHILDREN ALONE, THEY MADE HER LOOK LIKE TRASH, BRENDA DID NOT DESERVE THAT. MANDYS DAD GOT OFF FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE AND A NEGATIVE DNA TEST. THIS DID NOT PROVE HE DIDn'T MURDER THE VICTIM. KNOWING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY I FEEL PROFOUNDLY SORRY FOR THE VICTIMS FAMILY.
juneebuggy
I enjoyed this one a lot, its based on a true story about a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, who dedicates her life to overturning her brother's murder conviction. Convinced that he's innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18-year quest to free Kenny.Hilary Swank takes the lead here, uncovering the facts and utilizing DNA evidence (when it finally becomes available) while at the same time sacrificing her marriage and time with her kids. Minnie Driver is in the best friend role, helping her locate the evidence and through school. Sam Rockwell plays the brother who truthfully you don't have much remorse for as his character is so aloof.Swank, and Rockwell are excellent as usual, which helps because the movie doesn't move at the fasted pace, it managed to keep my interest throughout though and I really felt for these characters, helped along by multiple flashbacks to their tormented childhood.There are also some fantastic performances from Melissa Leo as the arresting officer and Juliette Lewis, who in a very small role completely embodies and transforms into her character. I could not take my eyes off of her or those bad teeth. Just incredible.This one tugs at the heart and is inspirational. Honestly I wasn't ever sure how it was going to play out either. 3/8/16
dale-51649
The film is based on an interesting true story , and could have made a good movie. . Unfortunately, it quickly devolves into a lifetime network cliché.Basically, a hard luck white trash family becomes even unluckier when one of the brothers is falsely accused and convicted of murder. Hillary Swank reprieves her role as a poorly educated but not too dumb white trasher, good looking but evidently too poor for orthodontic care.The film has high rent cinematography , but low brow script writing. This is demonstrated early on when , yes, an adult male insults a child, and is promptly beaten to a pulp. This transpires at a wedding reception where a man questions the wisdom of bringing a small child to a rowdy, white trash jamboree. Sam Rockwell, all 170 lbs of him, instantly beats the guy, nearly popping his head like a zit. A toothy swank looks on, smiling like a mutant hyena.It's not that the above scene is a Lifetime Channel cliché, it's that ALL the scenes are. Swank puts her life on hold to defend her brother, getting her GED and a law school degree from some matchbook degree mill. In spite of her disadvantaged background, she is smarter than every man the legal system has ever produced. Major credibility problems, even for the Oxygen Network crowd. They are usually satisfied by simplistic "woman better than men" stories but this one is silly even for them.Hillary Swank has made a career out of these kind of roles, and her "unusual " appearance has simultaneously attracted and puzzled audiences for years. I once heard her humble brag about not having health insurance when she got her first Oscar. I hope she can afford a dental plan now.
Claudio Carvalho
In Ayer, Massachusetts, the siblings Betty Anne and Kenneth 'Kenny' Waters are very close to each other and they are neglected by their single mother and prostitute Elizabeth Waters (Karen Young).In their come of age, Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is a troublemaker with a baby daughter hated by the local police department and Betty Anne (Hilary Swank) gets married and has two sons. When their neighbor is stabbed to death, the police officer Nancy Taylor (Melissa Leo) that has hatred for Kenny, arrests him and he is sent to court for trial.Kenny and Betty Anne can not afford to hire a lawyer and Kenny is defended by a public defender. He is sentenced to life without probation, based on the evidence of his blood type and the testimony of his girlfriends Brenda Marsh (Clea DuVall) and Roseanna Perry (Juliette Lewis).When Kenny tries to commit suicide in prison, his sister tells him that she will complete her elementary school and high-school to go to law school to reopen his case and overturn his sentence."Conviction" is the best courtroom drama of the Twentieth-First Century. The inspiring story of a waitress that decides to study to become a lawyer to defend her beloved and innocent brother that was sentenced to life without probation and release him after twenty years is one of the most beautiful examples of dedication, determination, devotion and fraternal love.The top-notch performances of Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell and Juliette Lewis deserved nomination to the Oscar. The tragic and ironic fate of Kenny six months after his freedom is not mentioned in the film that stops the journey of the Waters family in the best moments of their lives. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "A Condenação" ("The Conviction")