2019
R
Roadside Attractions
2 h 7 m

2019
R
Roadside Attractions
2 h 7 m

Summary Trial by Fire is the true-life Texas story of the unlikely bond between an imprisoned death row inmate (Jack O'Connell) and a mother of two from Houston (Laura Dern) who, though facing staggering odds, fights mightily for his freedom. Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee with a violent streak and a criminal rec...

Directed By: Edward Zwick

Written By: Geoffrey Fletcher, David Grann

2019
R
Roadside Attractions
2 h 7 m

2019
R
Roadside Attractions
2 h 7 m

Trial by Fire

Name: Trial by Fire
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: 2019-05-17
Duration: 2 min 7 s
Rating: 51
Cast: Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern, Emily Meade, Chris Coy, Jeff Perry

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 19 Critic Reviews

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 11 User Ratings

6.8

My Score

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Where to Watch

Directed By: Edward Zwick

Written By: Geoffrey Fletcher, David Grann

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

View All

Metascore

Mixed or Average Based on 19 Critic Reviews

26% Positive
5 Reviews

68% Mixed
13 Reviews

5% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

View All

Metascore

Mixed or Average Based on 19 Critic Reviews

26% Positive
5 Reviews

68% Mixed
13 Reviews

5% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

New York Magazine (Vulture)

May 20, 2019

The movie is painstakingly well made and murderously hard to sit through.

By David Edelstein FULL REVIEW

Film Threat

May 21, 2019

The performances are inspired.

By Lorry Kikta FULL REVIEW

IndieWire

May 13, 2019

Trial by Fire is completely reignited by the scenes between Dern and O’Connell, who form a compelling bond through a thick sheet of plexiglass. More than just an acting masterclass, the probing, delicate conversations between their characters build towards a harrowing tap dance between hope and surrender.

By David Ehrlich FULL REVIEW

The Seattle Times

May 16, 2019

It’s a haunting, heartbreaking story, told by a movie that never quite makes a case for itself to exist.

By Moira Macdonald FULL REVIEW

The A.V. Club

May 15, 2019

But Zwick and Fletcher, in their eagerness to make an argument against the death penalty, needlessly stack the deck.

By Mike D'Angelo FULL REVIEW

Austin Chronicle

May 15, 2019

It’s a tale full of sound and fury, signifying something that’s nothing less than appalling.