Cast: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo
Another heart-wrenching ‘true story’, ‘Conviction’ tells the story of Betty Anne Waters, a wife and mother from Massachusetts who dedicated her life to becoming a lawyer so she could defend her brother Kenny, who was given life without parole for first-degree murder in 1983. As with so many ‘true stories’ these days, the source material is compelling, and the resulting film crass and predictable. If there were a Dummies Guide to winning an Oscar, this film would make a great case study.
It is completely inconceivable that events really transpired in the manicured order they appear onscreen – with revelations and obstacles and highs and lows arriving at the exact moment we expect them. And what value (artistic or otherwise) is there in a film that butchers and edits the truth beyond all recognition, then slaps on a moving score and pays top dollar for a famous actress? Certainly not the sort of value that should be expected of a festival film.
However, given the staggering number of terrible films emerging in recent years, it is perhaps unfair to be so hard on a film that rejoices in the traditional models of Hollywood storytelling. This film effortlessly hits every note with the sort of precision that will have Clint Eastwood worrying; and it will certainly tug at the heartstrings of audiences around the world. But it just isn’t honest enough to be considered ‘great’, and it is hard to imagine anybody leaving the cinema determined to rally against the American justice system… they will be too busy crying and praising Hilary Swank’s moving performance.
Swank plays completely against type as a feisty and determined young woman who single-handedly overcomes all the obstacles in her path to win the boxing match… I mean fly across the Pacific… wait, which Hilary Swank film is this again? The only surprising thing about ‘Conviction’ is the revelation that Minnie Driver is still alive and, apparently, finding employment in Los Angeles. Hooray for her.
Another heart-wrenching ‘true story’, ‘Conviction’ tells the story of Betty Anne Waters, a wife and mother from Massachusetts who dedicated her life to becoming a lawyer so she could defend her brother Kenny, who was given life without parole for first-degree murder in 1983. As with so many ‘true stories’ these days, the source material is compelling, and the resulting film crass and predictable. If there were a Dummies Guide to winning an Oscar, this film would make a great case study.
It is completely inconceivable that events really transpired in the manicured order they appear onscreen – with revelations and obstacles and highs and lows arriving at the exact moment we expect them. And what value (artistic or otherwise) is there in a film that butchers and edits the truth beyond all recognition, then slaps on a moving score and pays top dollar for a famous actress? Certainly not the sort of value that should be expected of a festival film.
However, given the staggering number of terrible films emerging in recent years, it is perhaps unfair to be so hard on a film that rejoices in the traditional models of Hollywood storytelling. This film effortlessly hits every note with the sort of precision that will have Clint Eastwood worrying; and it will certainly tug at the heartstrings of audiences around the world. But it just isn’t honest enough to be considered ‘great’, and it is hard to imagine anybody leaving the cinema determined to rally against the American justice system… they will be too busy crying and praising Hilary Swank’s moving performance.
Swank plays completely against type as a feisty and determined young woman who single-handedly overcomes all the obstacles in her path to win the boxing match… I mean fly across the Pacific… wait, which Hilary Swank film is this again? The only surprising thing about ‘Conviction’ is the revelation that Minnie Driver is still alive and, apparently, finding employment in Los Angeles. Hooray for her.
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