“The director did not want the film to be labeled as anti-death penalty. That’s why we see so much about the crime in the movie. [The director] shows the horror of what Poncelet did to balance out the possible view of the prisoner as victim. I have no doubt that some people will leave the theatre saying ‘Fry ‘em’ about everyone on death row.”
(www.salon.com/06/reviews/dead3.html)
Do you agree that the film is not necessarily anti-death penalty? Does it offer a balanced portrayal? Do you understand why some people will still agree with the death penalty after viewing the movie?
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I agree that it is not necessarily anti-death penalty because it shows two sides of the story and people watching the movie could side with either Poncelet or the families of the murdered children. It is not necessarily anti-death penalty because it shows the horrors that the families of the children went through and makes you have both sympathy and empathy for them. By putting a more personal take on it, it is easy to see the two views in contrast. I understand that a lot of people will still agree with death penalty after watching Dead Man Walking because of how personal it gets. In the movie, you learn a lot about the film and the terror it causes on both sides. I am not for capital punishment but I do see how many people are. If that happened to my children or any family member or close friend, I could understand the pain and suffering caused by that and the want of the person to be executed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with same that the movie wasn't one sided and they did a good job of portraying all the families.I thought it did a good job of showing Poncelets mom instead of just showing him as a monster.Before i watched this movie i was for capital punishment but after watching it and how involved it gets I have changed my mine and am now opposed to it
ReplyDeleteI also agree the movie was not solely anti-death penalty. It offers both sides of the story. You do not even learn that the Poncelet was the real killer until later which shows that innocent people actually suffer for others consequences. But this also shows the suffering of the families of the victims, which makes you want the Poncelet "to get what he deserves". "Dead Man Walking" has a good balance of showing of both sides of people on death row. When you do find out the Poncelet is the real killer I'm sure a lot of people would still agree with the death penalty because you see the crime over and over and see how much pain the familes are in.
ReplyDeleteWhile the movie is not exactly anti death penalty it does acknowledge that there is two sides to the death penelty and that it takes a toll on everybody involved it offers a balanced portrayle and I could definately see why many people still support the death penelty after seeing this movie.
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