Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

shanewilliamfitzgerald THIS MOVIE IS SO WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS. IVE KNOWN MANDY'S AUNT SINCE BEFORE SHE WAS BORN. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING WITH MANDYS AUNT HER AND SHE WAS UPSET BECAUSE BRENDA SHOWED UP AT HER HOUSE WITH THE KIDS HYSTERICAL, CLAIMING MANDY'S DAD SHOWED UP AT BRENDA APARTMENT COVERED IN BLOOD BRAGGNG ABOUT THE MURDERS. THE PORTRAYAL OF BENDA IS JUST AWEFUL. INSTEAD OF THE WOKING MOM SHE WAS RAISING HER TWO CHILDREN ALONE, THEY MADE HER LOOK LIKE TRASH, BRENDA DID NOT DESERVE THAT. MANDYS DAD GOT OFF FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE AND A NEGATIVE DNA TEST. THIS DID NOT PROVE HE DIDn'T MURDER THE VICTIM. KNOWING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY I FEEL PROFOUNDLY SORRY FOR THE VICTIMS FAMILY.

Tss5078 A lot of film are made that are based on a true story, and most of these films claim to be inspirational, but seldom are. Finding a truly inspirational film, that is based on a true story, is like finding a needle in a haystack, in this case, that needle is called Conviction. Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) came from a dysfunctional family, dropped out of High School, got married, and had kids, while she was still a child herself. She never wanted to be anything more than a housewife, until her brother, Kenneth (Sam Rockwell), was convicted of a murder she knew he couldn't have committed. It took fifteen long years, but Betty Anne got her GED, finished college, and went to law school, with the hopes of one day getting her brother exonerated. Hilary Swank stars and thrives in roles like this one. Despite her beauty and talent, she is one of the most down to earth people in Hollywood, and is always very believable as a normal, every day person. In most of her films, she is the kind of person audiences empathize with and cheer for, making her perfect for this role. She is paired with Sam Rockwell who is one of the most underrated stars in Hollywood. The man has immense talent, but is seldom talked about, because of the awful films he decides to star in. I have admired Rockwell for a long time, but this is the first time I can remember rating a film he was in higher than three stars. Conviction is a real story, written by the people who lived through it. It is heartfelt, inspirational, and most importantly real. The film may have bombed in theaters, but it is a true gem that was seriously overlooked.

blanche-2 "Conviction" stars Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher, and Juliette Lewis in the true-life story of Betty Anne Waters, who becomes an attorney in order to free her brother Kenny of a wrongful murder conviction.I saw Betty Anne profiled some time ago -- back then, I think she was still in law school.Kenny Waters is convicted of the murder of Katharina Brow (since she was German, I assume the original last name was Brau) who was viciously knifed in her home. The crime occurred in 1980, when there was no DNA testing, and Kenny had the same blood type as the perpetrator. Several witnesses, including Kenny's wife and ex-girlfriend, testify against him.Betty Anne, a mother with two children, makes the decision to go to law school in order to free her brother. At that time, she doesn't even have her GED. She comes up against wall after wall, gets divorced, and her children, probably more to help her than anything else, finally go to live with their father. She moonlights running a bar.Betty Anne contacts Barry Scheck (Gallagher) of the Innocence Project to enlist his group's help. Scheck needs evidence -- by then, it's been about 15 years since Kenny's conviction.This is a powerful story because it shows, again, what the determination of one person can achieve, and how his or her passion can inspire others to help.Hillary Swank is a gifted actress, and it's a shame that she hasn't gotten more roles like she had in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. She's natural but intense as Betty Anne, and she can really pull at the heartstrings. Sam Rockwell as Kenny does a wonderful job, and the two have great chemistry together. You could feel his hopelessness, and his fear of being let down.Everyone is good in this film, with Juliette Lewis as an ex-girlfriend and Melissa Leo as policewoman Nancy Taylor standouts.The problem I have with this film is that, strip the movie of Hillary Swank and you've got a Lifetime movie. It just doesn't come off like a feature film in the way the story is told or in its focus. It's just a little bit left of cloying. Also, note to writers -- Kenny wasn't in jail, he was in prison. There's a difference.Despite this, it's a wonderful story, all the more dramatic because it's true. And you can't get enough of its message: One person can make a difference.

dromasca Hilary Swank is an actress who has the internal strength and the talent to create a type of feminine characters feminist movies can be built around. Following 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Amelia' now comes 'Conviction'. Again her hero is taking an unusual path, she will go with her feelings and against all odds, fight adversity and fight her condition as a woman to succeed in a career and reach a goal that seems unachievable. The danger is repetition, variants around the same subject and the same type of character are good only when they reinvent themselves and bring new points of view, new angles. This does not happen in 'Conviction' and not even the facts that the story is inspired by reality and the character she plays is taken from true life do not help. Nothing seems too real, the characters develop on expected paths, and the result is a film too long, I wish I had seen the documentary instead. Good acting from Swank and her supporting team does not make this movie take off.