Trial by Fire

This is the third movie I have seen Jack O'Connell in where he is a prisoner, after Starred Up (excellent) and Unbroken (spotted but also very good) and it leads me to believe that perhaps he has something to say about the prison system and prisoner reform.

All three of these movies have in common the unrelenting need to showcase the individual as true and real to their beliefs no matter the hard forces that oppress you. And this is a very important thing to teach, something we really do not see enough of.

This movie I cannot get out of my mind and I believe it is for the fact that Jack O'Connell is clearly a master of acting and he is speaking for someone who has no voice of their own: it is gut-wrenchingly powerful. Never before have I seen an actor so devoted to portraying the underdog who is really forced to come to understanding of a terrible fate.

These types of movies are valid because they give you not just the story but the feeling. The feeling of being lost and forgotten, yet heard by someone. I don't care who you are, deep down everyone should be able to relate to that: being unheard by the masses but remembered by few. It's literally one of the only things we can strive for.

I probably won't be able to change your mind about whether or not you want to sit through (**another**) relentless prison movie where hope can only come through as passive understanding. And I won't say that this movie is for everyone but if you are curious about some of the major inequalities (and I say major because instead of reform we are just erasing these people from society) that plague or beautiful and modern world and you can stomach a little short of 2 hours of intense character development in an setting where development isnt just unencouraged but definitely unwanted then you need to check out this movie. Just remember though that the hope is still out there.

And I just want to end by saying "thank you" to Jack O'Connell. Your efforts to bring awareness to these causes is greatly appreciated not just by me but by many. And I know he would never read this but i just want to add that his depictions of struggles through insane situations has increased the desire in me to enact change as well, and that is what art is all about. So a huge applause to him for taking on the roles that must be near impossible to shake off at nite.

And if you enjoy this definitely check him out in Starred Up and Unbroken, then tell everyone you know about these injustices because that is the only way we will ever change as a society.

Thanks for reading.

Well acted and engaging. Don't let the ludicrous 51 fool you. This is a well made, engrossing film with solid performances all around.

This was a well acted and thought provoking film which should challenge anyone's opinion of the death penalty and the serious flaws in the justice system. It was quite a long film, but worth watching.

A well acted film well paced and directed.

There's far too many of these miscarriages of justice happening by people in a uniform or position of power.

There's more than enough evidence on the news and what I wasn't aware of is sometimes surfaced like here in a movie.

As shocking and depressing as these injustices are, it's compounded by failure of the system to acknowledge and correct it's mistakes, rooting out the corruption.

So well done to the film makers for shaming those involved.

Great directing and cinematography, and a fairly detailed account on the real story of Cameron Todd Willingham, played excellent by Jack O'Connell. Casting was great and all actors were convincing in their roles. Laura Dern was outstanding. The score/music was great and placed perfectly in certain scenes.

The first half of the film was paced perfectly and had great tense moments, but I feel the second half dragged out a little too long with slower pacing and overly extended scenes. The 127 min runtime should have been edited down minus 20 mins from the second half of the film.

Otherwise and outstanding production that had a roller-coaster of emotions and tense moments due to the excellent acting and technical details the filmmakers created. It really makes you think on how terrible the justice system was and still is, and how politics played out during then-Texas governor Rick Perry's poor judgement.

It's a shame this excellent production has some bad ratings/reviews, some reviewers saying it's predictable and cliched. This is how the real story played out, so any so-called cliches, sadly are actual facts. Thus a well deserved 9/10 from me, and a definite recommend if you can forgive the slow pacing in the second act. And if anyone thinks this review is fake, click on my username to see my 1000+ ratings and 700+ reviews. Now go see this excellent biopic!