Dernière danse

"Rick" (Rob Morrow) is an ambitious young attorney charged with what his bosses hope will be the routinely futile clemency case of "Cindy" (Sharon Stone) who is coming to the end of her wait on death row. Initially, she wants little to do with him, but gradually that relationship not only thaws but thrives as he starts to uncover some flaws that might help. What could have been quite a decent story, here, is really delivered in a by-the-numbers fashion. It is a rather pedestrian mystery that swipes at politics, racism and a general professional cynicism amongst his public service colleagues, but in such a lightweight fashion. Moreover, with the sword of Damocles dangling so perilously, there is a distinct lack of passion here. Stone is inherently limited by her role (being incarcerated) but Morrow is just weak, with a persona that though honest of intent, is really not anywhere near strong enough to carry this above a level of mediocrity that makes it all a bit flat and hollow.

I have yet to see DMW- starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, but given it was such a popular movie, it was difficult for this one to step out of its shadow. It is about a woman up against death row. An attorney steps in and tries to save her life by proving her innocence in a murder trial. I have always been intrigued with prison movies for their grittiness, and drama, and Last Dance has some real moments of tension. However the grittiness is somewhat lacking, until the end (and even there its not as strong). What saves the movie is strong acting, specifically from Stone (who is somewhat Hollywood's female version of Sean Penn in that they exceed in the lowlife "bad guy" roles like no other). 7/10.

Movie starts of with Rick Hayes (Rob Morrow) a young lawyer who gets a new job and is assigned a clemency case on Cindy Liggett (Sharon Stone) who has been on death row for 12 years for double murder. Rick Hayes tries to save Liggett from execution. At first she refuses to give Rick information. But later on gets along with him and they get closer. Everyone gives up on her and Rick is the only one trying to help her and is very driven to save her.

Some people might say it is a slow and boring movie and that the plot is not good but i liked it, it was a very touching movie and Sharon Stone did a great job. I recamend it to those that like touching movies like me.

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In case you're wondering, yes, "Last Dance" is clearly a film against capital punishment. But what makes it interesting is how it does not dwell on the morality of whether it's right or wrong to execute convicted criminals, but rather it focuses on the corruption of human government which uses lives for political manipulation. Whether you're in favor of capital punishment or not, we can all agree that we shouldn't send people to their deaths just so someone can win an election, right? That's the core theme of this film. One prisoner may be pardoned--why?--not because he's worthy but simply because the public likes him and will vote for any politician who will pardon him. Another prisoner may not be so politically valuable, so he ends up behind the 8 ball.

With this approach in mind, "Last Dance" leads us through a nightmarish labyrinth of human justice where innocence and guilt have nothing to do with punishment. Sharon Stone plays "Cindy" a condemned killer who brutally murdered two people 12 years prior. What follows is not an issue of whether she deserves to live or die, but it's an issue of whether her fate should be determined by a small handful of powerful people with only their own interests in mind.

There's a great line from the movie where one character shirks his responsibility with: "It's just the system" and another character responds "we ARE the system." Without devolving into a cartoonish conspiracy thriller, this film takes a broad and disturbing look at the ongoing failure of human justice. It's reminiscent of Orson Welles' masterpiece "The Trial" in the way that it doesn't accuse any individual culprit but rather the entire collective "system" which seems to perpetuate itself simply by people refusing to take a stand.

While there's not a lot of action, it's definitely a roller-coaster as our hero Ricky (Rob Morrow) struggles to set things right. Don't expect a fast paced flick with car chases and evil villains on his tail. No, this is the real world, and the only villains are his bosses, colleagues and politicians who thwart his progress by simply doing what they do every day.

Excellent acting by Sharon Stone makes you connect with her even though you remain fully aware that she is a killer. There's one fantastic scene in particular where you feel her exasperation come to a boil. It expresses the exasperation of American citizens who are so sick of corruption that they're ready to give up. Meanwhile "Ricky" symbolizes the spirit of the individual who is ready to fight it to the end.

Directed by Bruce Beresford, known for the sentimental "Driving Miss Daisy", this film definitely knows how to tug at your emotions. But at the same time it doesn't lose itself in sappy melodrama.

If movies like this interest you, I highly recommend "Monster" and the accompanying documentary "Aileen Wurnos: Life and Death of a Serial Killer". If you like films that explore the failure of the court system and why it fails, definitely check out the grandfather of such films "12 Angry Men", a slow yet riveting film set entirely within 1 room as jurors expose their own prejudices & selfish interests while deciding the fate of a young boy on trial. Films like these are practically historical documents as well as highly powerful cinema.

This movie is an attack to death sentences, it shows how these ones can be cruel and how someone can change after understanding his own mistakes. The idea is good but not the realization: this movie is slow and boring. But here there is a very lovely Sharon Stone: here she shows to be a very good actress, beside being a very very beautiful woman. Conclusion: just watch it on TV.