Dead Man Walking (1995) on Netflix
Sister Helen Prejean, a nun in New Orleans, becomes the spiritual adviser to Matthew Poncelet, a condemned prisoner on death row, as his execution date nears. He insists he is innocent.
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- IMDb7.5/10109,535 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes97%
Trailer
Plot summary
When Matthew Poncelet, condemned to death in Louisiana, writes to her order for help, Sister Helen Prejean, a nun working in the St. Thomas Projects of New Orleans, visits him in prison. Though she has no experience in criminal chaplaincy, she becomes his spiritual adviser. Poncelet, six years on death row, insists his accomplice, Carl Vitello, killed the two teenagers he was convicted of murdering, and he wants a final appeal before his scheduled execution. Sister Helen persuades the attorney Hilton Barber to take the case. She also meets Poncelet's mother, Lucille, and the parents of the victims, who question why she is helping him.
Cast
- Steve Bolesas Sgt. Neal Trapp
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Dead Man Walking (1995)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While filming The Client in New Orleans, Susan Sarandon came across Sister Helen Prejean's book Dead Man Walking. She reached out to Sister Helen and met her over lunch, later persuading Tim Robbins, her partner, to option the book for adaptation.
- Sarandon almost dropped out of the film before production began, fearing that being directed by Robbins might strain their relationship. "I wasn't sure we could do it together and not kill each other", she admitted.
- The real-life Helen Prejean can be seen briefly in the candlelight vigil scene outside the prison, protesting the death penalty with the rest of the cast.
SPOILER
Robbins was advised to omit the flashback, shown during the execution, which depicts the rape and double murder of which Poncelet was found guilty. He kept the scene in, saying that "anyone can manipulate with propaganda... But it's more difficult to get to a resolution in a complicated way that allows both sides to have dignity".SPOILER
Two versions of the climactic execution scene were filmed: one in which Poncelet suffers an allergic reaction to the first shot and begins convulsing, and a more subdued version, which was the one ultimately used in the film.- Matthew Poncelet, the death row inmate played by Penn, was not one real person: the character was based on two convicted murderers, while Susan Sarandon played the real Sister Helen Prejean.
