Day 229 - 8/17/09 - Movie #225
BEFORE: I thought maybe I'd watched this film, but I think I've only watched a few scenes - I think you know which ones I'm referring to... This is sort of a last-minute addition to my prison movie chain, IFC ran this one just last week...
THE PLOT: After a family tragedy, a racist prison guard reexamines his attitudes while falling in love with the African American wife of the last prisoner he executed.
AFTER: Damn, that was depressing. I don't want to spoil all the plot points, but most of them are pretty bleak - this could be a rough couple of weeks for me. Here we see the other side of capital punishment - the effect that it has on the prison guards that have to "pull the switch", as well as the executed man's family. Billy Bob Thornton plays Hank, a prison guard who starts out as a real racist, but then after meeting Halle Berry's character, Leticia, decides that he might like his women like he takes his coffee... They get together, but considering all the tragedies that have come their way, the feasability and functionality of the relationship is suspect, to say the least. It's pretty depressing that 2 of the film's supporting actors - Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle - are now deceased. I like dark films, like "Affliction" and "A Simple Plan", but this is a bit much.
RATING: 5 out of 10 bowls of chocolate ice cream
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