American Violence

This movie was presented beautifully (i.e. visual, editing and soundtrack) and written horribly. With more care in writing Denise Richard's character could have been much more three-dimensional and worth watching. She tried her best to dress up poor dialogue. The whole thing felt extremely rushed, plastic, and the story is superficial. Missed opportunities in writing made for a big miss overall. Every scene snowballs and falls apart under careful watch. For example: A scene involving a priest reading from a bible. A PRIEST... is holding a New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness) bible... and reading King James words. I'm not even religious. The writing is the foundation of the art... this is built on mud.

Possibly uses every cliché in this genre and still plays like a poorly written country and western song. Acting is shallow and hackneyed, dialogue is stilted and amateur. Can't make its mind up if it wants to be Bonnie and Clyde or just a generic bad guy who is really a good guy but life done him wrong flick. This is just MTV fodder, better off watching We Need to Talk about Kevin.

Texas is wavering on a execution because it's an election year, so they ask a 'world renowned psychologist' to conduct an interview and make a recommendation - Yeah right. She agrees because it's a good opportunity for her studies in the cycle of violence - Plausible. The 'world renowned psychologist' has her eyes opened and lady bits tingling in 72 hours - Just stop.

How about interviewing a violent offender with nothing to lose? No problem, let's just push this desk up against the bars with electrical cords in reach. Need a light? Here's a Zippo they let me to bring in. Need to build rapport? No problem, I'll start with anger and self-righteousness. Don't like something he says? Wad up some paper and throw it at him. Heard a few stories that got you changing your mind? Stand up against the bars with him like you're the big spoon. Back at the university teaching? Tell us how you feel by glancing wistfully at the Zippo on the lectern.

I chuckled when the guy's love interest was introduced. I'm not sure what was happening with her outfit, but a Goodwill thrift store cried that day. She seemed to be wearing too big business type clothes on top and raggedy underwear looking shorts on bottom. The humor stopped though when she started talking in that awful accent. Her clothes got better, the script and acting didn't. Not sure how much a person can take of a grown woman lounging in a bikini in front of her father, whom she calls daddy, with her chest thrust out. Don't worry, she throws out some range when she pouts and coos at him. Like when daddy offered her up to his body guard. I think it was the movie's attempt at humor. God stop the pain of this script.

2 stars - the cinematography wasn't bad.

Oh my god, someone actually wrote words and made actors (not real good ones) say them out loud. Lost track of who was who. Hated every single character. So much plastic surgery I thought they'd melt. Why did Gronk decide to be in this? Thought it would never end! I need to go self flagellate for making myself watch this to the excruciating end.

This clearly puts the eternal debate on capital punishment on trial. No movie, or set of packaged images designed to build momentum in the audience attention, will adequately cover the articulation of the arguments. It did cover the potential complexities that are usually unknown and seldom adequately presented in these situations. Retributive justice provides temporary soothing to those who care for the victims, but society as, a whole is led to believe that a subset of humanity is inherently and incorrigibly evil, so the only solution is to remove that subset. Then there is another intersecting subset that believes they are justified in administering capital punishment without legal authorization. The leadership of society could solve this by implementing legislation that responds to capital crime with complete loss of freedom and devise anti- corruption measures that largely eliminate the possibility of corruption occurring. Leaders envision and can improve humanity by starting at the bottom: humane treatment of it lowest elements. Then a clear message is sent that all have hope; hope reduces desperation, hope introduces options, and hope is beginning of a better existence. That is how a society should be led , rather cathartically lowering itself to respond with an equal crime. Yes we can protect society without prescribed executions; so let's fight like hell for the living