Distributed by

Polygram

Cat.no: 047 804 2

Cert: 15

Running time: 117 minutes

Year: 1995

Pressing: 1998

Region(s): 2 (UK PAL)

Chapters: 17 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Surround

Languages: English, German

Subtitles: English, German

Widescreen: 16:9, Fullscreen: 4:3

16:9-enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Price: £17.99

Extras : Scene index, Theatrical trailer, Biographies, Filmographies.

---

Director:

Tim Robbins (Bob Roberts)

Producer:

Jon Kilik, Tim Robbins and Rudd Simmons

Screenplay:

Tim Robbins (Based on the book "Dead Man Walking" by Sister Helen Prejean)

Music:

David Robbins

Cast:

Sister Helen Prejean: Susan Sarandon (Thelma And Louise, White Palace)
Matthew Poncelet: Sean Penn (Casualties Of War, U-Turn)
Hilton Barber: Robert Prosky (Last Action Hero, Miracle On 34th Street)
Earl Delacroix: Raymond J. Barry (Sudden Death)
Clyde Percy: R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket, The Frighteners)
Mary Beth Percy: Celia Weston
State Trooper: Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Highlander, Blue Steel)

---

Prejean becomes Poncelet's spiritual advisor through his countdown to death and could never have been more unprepared for the events that followed.

At times though, Poncelet claims he is innocent, even to the point where he's prepared to take a lie-detector test. The question that lingers up until the last minute is whether he is guilty or not and if he is, will Sister Helen Prejean be able to get through to him before the warden cries "dead man walking", the call for a man to be given his punishment by death.

One of the strong points of this film is in its cast. Susan Sarandon, wife of its director Tim Robbins, cuts an effective portrayal as the Nun trying hard to offer compassion to the convict while trying to understand the man behind the facade he sometimes puts up, as well as trying to offer condolence to the victims' families.

Sean Penn, once attributed to making dire movies with Madonna, made a name for himself in Casualties Of War when people discovered that he could act. It wasn't until 1993 when he proved his worth again with Carlito's Way and then in 1995 with his portrayal of Matthew Poncelet here, a man who doesn't know what's best for him, or whether it's worth trying to decide anything if others have already decided his fate. More recently he has appeared in Oliver Stone's U-Turn and opposite Michael Douglas in The Game.

The rest of the cast is fleshed out with Robert Prosky as Poncelet's lawyer, with Raymond J. Barry, R. Lee Ermey and Celia Weston as the parents of the two murdered teenagers.

The picture quality is generally excellent, but some there are some artifacts on greys or blacks occasionally in the in fullscreen version. Not a major problem, but noticeable if you're looking for it or if you know where to find it. Also, the fullscreen version is pan-and-scan as opposed to open-matte so you'll lose approximately 28% of the original picture whereas the widescreen side, which is in a 16:9 ratio (1.78:1) will lose only a tiny sliver of picture information from its original 1.85:1 ratio.

The sound included on the disc is only a Dolby Surround version. There is no Dolby Digital sound here, but the film was not recorded with one. The sound is mainly used for music from the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, or ambience.

Extras :

Chapters/Trailer :

Cast and Production Notes :

Also Available :

Languages :

The disc contains English and German languages and subtitles.

Menu :

The interactive menu is disappointing. Sometimes you can click on what's on the screen, while at other times you need to use the onscreen remote control. Once you get used to this it's not too bad, but is a pain to get to grips with since while the fullscreen side highlights which option is currently selected on the main menu, the widescreen side doesn't making it a guessing game as to which option is selected!

On the widescreen side I found a bit of difficulty selecting English language, as when I clicked on it I got German text(!) I worked out though that if you click *above* the word "English" then it works. Alternatively, if you don't make a selection and wait a couple of minutes, it will automatically select English and go to the main menu. Also, you can't go to the next or previous chapters on the remote while film is playing, only 'rewind' or 'fast-forward' the film.

Another thing to note is that on playing the disc you can't skip past the Polygram logo and copyright info.

Overall, this is a well-made thought-provoking drama with powerful acting from all concerned and competent direction from Sarandon's husband.

Given the amount of space on a DVD though, it would have been nice for the disc to have included the director's commentary track which exists on the corresponding NTSC Laserdisc. However, fans of the film will be pleased with the superb picture and sound quality that it offers.

FILM	 		: ****
PICTURE QUALITY (16:9)	: ****½
PICTURE QUALITY (4:3)	: ****½
SOUND QUALITY		: ****
EXTRAS			: **
PACKAGE			: ***

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1998.