[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Conviction

  • TV Movie
  • 2002
  • R
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
385
YOUR RATING
Conviction (2002)
DramaThriller

True story about author and activist Carl Upchurch, a hardcore felon who managed to educate himself and developed a spiritual awakening during one of his numerous stints inside prison.True story about author and activist Carl Upchurch, a hardcore felon who managed to educate himself and developed a spiritual awakening during one of his numerous stints inside prison.True story about author and activist Carl Upchurch, a hardcore felon who managed to educate himself and developed a spiritual awakening during one of his numerous stints inside prison.

  • Director
    • Kevin Rodney Sullivan
  • Writers
    • Carl Upchurch
    • Jon Huffman
  • Stars
    • Omar Epps
    • Dana Delany
    • Bentley Mitchum
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    385
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kevin Rodney Sullivan
    • Writers
      • Carl Upchurch
      • Jon Huffman
    • Stars
      • Omar Epps
      • Dana Delany
      • Bentley Mitchum
    • 9User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations total

    Photos3

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast77

    Edit
    Omar Epps
    Omar Epps
    • Carl Upchurch
    Dana Delany
    Dana Delany
    • Martha
    Bentley Mitchum
    Bentley Mitchum
    • Ledford
    Charles S. Dutton
    Charles S. Dutton
    • McGill - Carl's Father
    Anthony 'Treach' Criss
    Anthony 'Treach' Criss
    • Tank
    • (as Treach)
    Kyle Kass
    Kyle Kass
    • Demetrius Conamacher
    • (as Kyle Kassardjian)
    Jonathan Whittaker
    • Bob Conamacher
    Janine Theriault
    Janine Theriault
    • Andrea Santoni
    Benz Antoine
    Benz Antoine
    • Dealer Con
    Aaron Ashmore
    Aaron Ashmore
    • Whiff
    Dean Bernard
    • Convict #1
    Joanne Boland
    Joanne Boland
    • Tracy
    Joe Bostick
    Joe Bostick
    • Man being robbed
    Ashley Brown
    • Teen Bo
    Jason Burke
    • Nervous Gangster
    Jim Calarco
    Jim Calarco
    • Parole Board Chairman
    • (as James Calarco)
    Desmond Campbell
    Desmond Campbell
    • Angry Man
    Karl Campbell
    Karl Campbell
    • Huge Con
    • Director
      • Kevin Rodney Sullivan
    • Writers
      • Carl Upchurch
      • Jon Huffman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    6.2385
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    mmacdonald58

    It was a true story

    This is a true story. Would you rather it told differently to make better viewing, or hear the tale as it really happened. Carl held the first gang summit ever. He got leaders of street gangs from all over the country to sit together in a Kansas city church to listen about how there is a better way to live their lives. After this meeting violent youth crimes were down accross the country . Not your typical action flick...but a helluva story. Look for a cameo of the real Carl Upchurch as a prison guard standing on the roof. I forget which scene, but he is holding a shotgun accross his chest.
    5=G=

    A very ordinary movie about a very extraordinary man

    "Conviction" tells the success story of the late Carl Upchurch; a black man who was born to the ghetto, became a criminal, and then bootstrapped his way to prominence as a speaker, organizer, author, and activist for black causes. This Showtime production is a journeyman effort which dwells too much on Upchurch's rather ordinary misdeeds and too little on his extraordinary noble deeds. Okay stuff for anyone with an interest in Upchurch. Passable for all others. (C+)
    7Aglaope

    A Man With the strength to Change

    It's the true story of how a man, John Upchurch, dragged himself away from the negativity of his upbringing, and used the experience to help others.

    The movie shows his violent past, and how he saw the futility of his way of life as time past. One quote which was along the lines of, "Just because I have a lot of miles on the clock doesn't mean I'm going soft, I'm getting wise" sums it up to a certain extent.

    On the whole it was better at the beginning than the end, where it got a bit slow, but on the whole it was very watchable, with a good display by the lead actor.
    j_avenz

    Good movie

    The movie is based on a true story about a young man (played by Omar Epps) in and out of the system. It does a good job portraying the system and rehabilitating yourself. I'm not sure what the previous comment was about exciting prison stuff. The only thing I can derive from that is something rather perverted. All-in-all, it makes a good moral attempt. The movie is excellent and is about setting higher standards for yourself and choosing the right path.
    8Tony-Kiss-Castillo

    INTERESTING AND BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

    FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title´s Content and Context...

    "I could have easily vanished into the gravitational pull of that South Philly Black Hole...But by consistent hard work...and the grace of God, I broke free!" That's how Carl Upchurch (Omar Epps) sums up his life. I promised a friend BMWTOO I would watch this film and review, giving my very best, 100 % effort...Here it is:

    Couldn't help notice one reviewer's comments about how CONVICTION seemed to focus too much on Upchurch's underprivileged upbringing and violently criminal youth and not enough on his accomplishments later in life. Sadly, I feel these reviewers missed the whole point of CONVICTION! To the contrary...I think its greatest strength is how painstakingly the story takes us through Upchurch's step by step, stage by stage metamorphosis from murderous sociopathic small-time hood to national community organizer/leader, who has exerted a positive influence on our entire culture and country!

    KUDOS to Epps! What a superb on-screen, slow-burn transition! Remember the scene in Clockwork Orange where Malcolm MacDowell's character is strapped to a chair with his eyes held open by force to make him see images geared to recondition him? Well, if I were dictator, all those who wouldn't watch CONVICTION voluntarily would get that last option! (Remember NOT to vote for ME if I run for office!) Sadly, Wikipedia's information on Upchurch is a scant 20 words and has been poorly entered and linked. (Check it out for yourself) If you GOOGLE his name, you'll find much better source material elsewhere. Does CONVICTION have faults? OK, this is a Showtime production, so you know the drill, right? Even though it does suffer from several Made-4-TV shortcomings, that are par for the course, the true story is profoundly inspirational and merits 5*, but my overall rating is 8.5********

    More like this

    La deuxième chance
    6.8
    La deuxième chance
    A Day in the Life
    5.1
    A Day in the Life
    The Devil You Know
    5.4
    The Devil You Know
    Dans les cordes
    5.3
    Dans les cordes
    Gangsta cop
    6.2
    Gangsta cop
    Illégitime défense
    5.1
    Illégitime défense
    Aniki, mon frère
    7.1
    Aniki, mon frère
    Rencontre fatale
    4.6
    Rencontre fatale
    L'ombre de la séduction
    5.4
    L'ombre de la séduction
    A Beautiful Life
    4.4
    A Beautiful Life
    Multiple Sarcasms
    4.7
    Multiple Sarcasms
    Traffik
    5.9
    Traffik

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cherion Drakes's debut.

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 29, 2002 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • special visual effects company
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Diario de un convicto
    • Filming locations
      • Brampton, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Television
      • Sagia Productions Inc.
      • Showtime Networks
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Conviction (2002)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Conviction (2002) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.