A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
A widower who realized his only connection to his family was through his wife sets off on an impromptu road trip to reunite with each of his grown children.
Director:
Kirk Jones
Stars:
Robert De Niro,
Kate Beckinsale,
Sam Rockwell
The tragic death of a beautiful young girl starts a tense and atmospheric game of cat and mouse between hunter John Moon and the hardened backwater criminals out for his blood.
CIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.
A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.
Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by covered wagon by the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy, who in turn employs low-life drifter George Briggs to assist her.
Director:
Tommy Lee Jones
Stars:
Tommy Lee Jones,
Hilary Swank,
Grace Gummer
An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
Stars:
Julia Roberts,
Albert Finney,
David Brisbin
Betty Anne Waters (Swank) is a high school dropout who spent nearly two decades working as a single mother while putting herself through law school, tirelessly trying to beat the system and overturn her brother's (Rockwell) unjust murder conviction.Written by
Fox Searchlight Pictures
The movie was nearly 10 years in development. See more »
Goofs
While Swank and Rockwell are talking in the prison visiting room, the voices of their characters remain clear, unobstructed, and loud, despite camera angles changing to long shots, through windows, and from behind at a distance. Normally in editing, there is an attempt to mimic how the sound would be received by the viewer if they were in the camera's position, such as when music playing on a car stereo decreases and is muffled when heard from someone outside versus inside the car. See more »
I've been wanting to watch Tony Goldwyn's 'Conviction' for a long time. Now movies like this have been done before. While there is the story of 'guilty until proved innocent' but what makes this one stand out is the authenticity with which the brother-sister relationship is portrayed. One doesn't see many Hollywood movies explore sibling relationships unless it's in the form of mockery like 'Stepbrothers'. There are but a very few exceptions like Kenneth Lonergan's beautiful 'You Can Count On Me'.
Swank and Rockwell are very convincing as sister and brother. Their on screen interlude appears very natural and this only makes Betty Anne's determination to prove her brother's innocence all the more believable. Needless to say, both actors are at their best and they are supported wonderfully by Melissa Leo (who plays a bent copper), Juliette Lewis (she seems to have mastered playing trailer-trash characters), Clea Duvall (the lying wife), Minnie Driver (the charming friend) and Peter Gallagher.
One can easily relate to Swank's Betty Anne struggling with the bureaucratic legal system and her drive to free her brother. Unless one has money or the right contacts, one can recognize the situations where Betty Anne is passed over from one administration to another.
'Conviction' is a compelling watch. It involves the viewer right from the very beginning and even though you can predict the ending, it's Betty Anne and Kenny's faith in each other that keeps you hooked.
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I've been wanting to watch Tony Goldwyn's 'Conviction' for a long time. Now movies like this have been done before. While there is the story of 'guilty until proved innocent' but what makes this one stand out is the authenticity with which the brother-sister relationship is portrayed. One doesn't see many Hollywood movies explore sibling relationships unless it's in the form of mockery like 'Stepbrothers'. There are but a very few exceptions like Kenneth Lonergan's beautiful 'You Can Count On Me'.
Swank and Rockwell are very convincing as sister and brother. Their on screen interlude appears very natural and this only makes Betty Anne's determination to prove her brother's innocence all the more believable. Needless to say, both actors are at their best and they are supported wonderfully by Melissa Leo (who plays a bent copper), Juliette Lewis (she seems to have mastered playing trailer-trash characters), Clea Duvall (the lying wife), Minnie Driver (the charming friend) and Peter Gallagher.
One can easily relate to Swank's Betty Anne struggling with the bureaucratic legal system and her drive to free her brother. Unless one has money or the right contacts, one can recognize the situations where Betty Anne is passed over from one administration to another.
'Conviction' is a compelling watch. It involves the viewer right from the very beginning and even though you can predict the ending, it's Betty Anne and Kenny's faith in each other that keeps you hooked.