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Dead Man Walking

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 26 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Helen Prejean (book)
Tim Robbins
Directed by: Tim Robbins
Release Date:
Theatrical: December 29, 1995
DVD: December 7, 1999
Running Time: 122 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for a depiction of a rape and murder
Starring Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry, and R. Lee Ermey
Follows the relationship between a death-row inmate (Penn) and local nun (Sarandon) to whom he turns for spiritual guidance in the days leading up to his scheduled execution.
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
ReelViews James Berardinelli
It's ironic that a film with this title should be among the most vital, alive, and challenging cinema experiences of the year.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Gene Siskel
Sarandon delivers one of her very best performances; her shock at encountering the wrath of the victim's family is registered beautifully. And Sean Penn, who for too long has suffered with the label of being a "bad boy," gives an Oscar-caliber performance.[12 January 1996, Friday, p.B]
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
A bold, searching, wrenching experience. It may be the most complexly impassioned message movie Hollywood has ever made.
USA Today Mike Clark
Happily, there's nothing to misconstrue about the film: It's fabulous.
Read Full Review >Variety Emanuel Levy
An intimate chamber piece for two, superbly acted by Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, this is a mature, well-crafted movie.
Read Full Review >Film.com Jonathan Richards
A complex, myriad-faceted work of art.
Washington Post Hal Hinson
What this intelligent, balanced, devastating movie puts before us is nothing less than a contest between good and evil.
Read Full Review >Film.com Sean Means
Their (Sarandon, Penn) performances and Robbins' drive to ask questions without offering easy answers make Dead Man Walking a thought-provoking drama not to be missed or dismissed.
Time Richard Schickel
It is a measure of its complexity--and of the forces Penn and Sarandon have held in reserve during their hypnotic struggle for his soul--that its final moments leave us awash in emotion.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
An extremely affecting experience, down to the last agonizing moment.
Read Full Review >Film.com John Hartl
Sean Penn gives the most riveting, selfless performance of his career.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Jimmy Fowler
Dead Man Walking drops a massive, writhing knot of sorrow in your lap and then doesn't tell you what to do with it. If that doesn't sound like entertainment to you, you're right. It does something far more profound: It finds the tragic universal core of a contentious issue.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Alison Macor
Robbins' direction and script are nearly flawlessly rich. There are no easy answers on death row, and Dead Man Walking makes this painfully, powerfully clear.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Unusual in both its subject matter and its approach, this film guides us on a pair of intertwined paths American movies rarely venture down.
Mr. Showbiz Anne Harris
This isn't a crowd-pleaser in terms of subject matter -- you've got a convict and a nun, with no love scenes -- but Robbins keeps it interesting.
Film.com Bruce Reid
Hollywood's two most prominent left-wingers, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, have crafted a film that transcends its own political message by a scrupulous attention to detail.
Read Full Review >Newsweek David Ansen
No simple diatribe against capital punishment, it's a strong film, made stronger by two terrific performances.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The movie is often preachy and self-conscious, especially in long dialogue scenes, where Robbins's inexpert scriptwriting makes people talk at instead of with each other. Yet the picture's solid assets enable it to soar above such problems, both intellectually and emotionally. [29 December 1995, Film, p.13]
Film.com Keith Simanton
Outstanding supporting performances, and a climactic aria of images take the film a step beyond dramatic impact; at key moments, the whole picture resonates with sorrow.
TV Guide Frank Lovece
Sarandon is terrific and Penn is in top form, but the film is an achingly earnest message movie with a curiously muddled message.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Has its awkward and square moments directorially, but it's also uncommonly honest and serious.
Read Full Review >Film.com Tom Keogh
Overpraised, intellectually soft, narratively unfocused, and thematically ambivalent.
The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann
The picture is cloudy in intent. That cloudiness is deepened by Susan Sarandon's performance as Sister Helen. If she were giving the role what it seems to demand, a glow of true religious light, the film would have some organic cohesion, a strong spiritual cord running through it. But Sarandon does little more than present her face. [Feb. 5, 1996]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 26 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Lissa gave it a10:
This made me change my views on the Death Penalty. Amazing film.
Mary gave it an8:
Makes you think again! Made me look this up to see what others thought because it clouded what I thought I knew for sure.
Salman H. gave it a10:
Awesome acting...not an easy movie to watch i must say....but thats the beauty of this movie....Penn and Surandon did deserved an award.
Gerron K gave it a 9:
A powerfully disturbing and brilliant film with top notch performances by both Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. One of the best films of 1995, the issues are handled brilliantly and yet tamely, with enough subtlety to allow viewers to understand the impact of the film.
Camron R. gave it a 9:
I give it a 9 outta 10...peace.
Anthony V gave it a 9:
Top notch performance by Penn and Sarandon, their relationship is intriguing as it is challenging. The theme of capital punishment is explored splendidly. Robbins did a good job.
Andrew gave it a 9:
A beautiful, tragic and heart-wrenching film. susan sarandon is wonderful as sister helen, and sean penn give another oscar-worthy performance.
