Deadline (2004), After Innocence (2005), Redemption (2004), The Execution of Wanda Jean (2002), Dancer in the Dark (2000), The Thin Blue Line (1988), Just Mercy (2019), The Life of David Gale (2003) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Death Row movies.
Storyline: In 2000, Illinois Gov. George Ryan ordered a moratorium on the death penalty after university students uncovered new evidence proving the innocence of 13 men on death row. This documentary follows the hearings held by a panel Ryan appointed to study the issue and interviews activists, scholars and prisoners, while examining the history of the American death penalty. As Ryan's time in office comes to an end, he must decide what steps to take to reform the judicial system.
Plot Keywords: governor, student, author, warden, judge, activist, engaging ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Following the stories of seven exonerated prisoners, "After Innocence" documents how DNA evidence led to the release of these wrongfully imprisoned, innocent men. Free after years -- and in some cases decades -- behind bars and on death row, these men struggle to transition back into society with inadequate support from the judicial system that wronged them. "After Innocence" brings to light flaws in the criminal justice system and the need for reform.
Plot Keywords: innocent man, ex-convict, activist, cop, soldier, father, gripping ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Stan "Tookie" Williams (Jamie Foxx), founder of the infamous Los Angeles street gang the Crips, is sent to death row in 1981. Journalist Barbara Becnel (Lynn Whitfield) wants to interview Williams after her son gets interested in gang culture. Though initially reluctant to speak to anyone, Williams' outlook changes when he begins writing children's books. Resolving to redeem himself before his execution, Williams talks to Becnel about his turbulent childhood and his rise to gangster legend.
Plot Keywords: gangster, journalist, son, agent, inmate, raw, uplifting ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: "The Execution of Wanda Jean" chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen. By telling one woman's story, the film becomes an unforgettable exploration into one of America's most controversial moral and political dilemmas: the death penalty. "The Execution of Wanda Jean" is an unflinching investigation of the role that poverty, mental health, race, and sexuality play within the criminal justice system.
Plot Keywords: prisoner, african-american woman, death row inmate, lawyer, lesbian, disturbing, emotional ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: 1964 in small town Washington state. Selma Jezková, a Czechoslovakian immigrant, and her preteen son Gene live in a rented trailer owned by and on the property of married Bill and Linda Houston, he the town sheriff. Beyond Bill and Linda, Selma has a small group of friends who look out for her, including her primary confidante, Kathy, with who she works, and Jeff who wants to be her boyfriend. Jeff regularly waits outside Selma's workplace long before the end of her shift to drive her home, despite she always refusing in not wanting to lead him on. Her primary job is working on the Anderson Tool factory assembly line, but she does whatever she can to earn money. What only Kathy knows among Selma's friends is that she is slowly going blind, her medical condition being genetic. Selma is barely able to see, just enough to do her job. Her primary reason for moving to the US and for working all the time is to earn enough money for an operation for Gene when he turns thirteen, he who ...
Plot Keywords: single mother, son, neighbor, coworker, emotional, dreamy, disturbing ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Errol Morris's unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas, Texas. Briefly, a drifter (Randall Adams) ran out of gas and was picked up by a 16-year-old runaway (David Harris). Later that night, they drank some beer, smoked some marijuana, and went to the movies. Then, their stories diverged. Adams claimed that he left for his motel, where he was staying with his brother, and went to sleep. Harris, however, said that they were stopped by police late that night, and Adams suddenly shot the officer approaching their car. The film shows the audience the evidence gathered by the police, who were under extreme pressure to clear the case. It strongly makes a point that the circumstantial evidence was very flimsy. In fact, it becomes apparent that Harris was a much more likely suspect and was in the middle of a crime spree, eventually ending up on Death Row himself for the later commission of other crimes. Morris implies that the DA's and the judge's desire for the death penalty in this case (for which Harris would have been ineligible because of his youth) made Adams a scapegoat on whom to pin this heinous crime.—Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
Plot Keywords: drifter, murderer, petty criminal, judge, psychiatrist, cop, dark ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A powerful and thought-provoking true-story, "Just Mercy" follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson.) One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx,) who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds-and the system-stacked against them.—Gregg Brilliant
Plot Keywords: defense attorney, death row inmate, wrongly accused, emotional, disheartening, passionate, powerful ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: When anti-death-penalty activist David Gale is convicted and condemned to death for the murder of a colleague, reporter Bitsey Bloom sets out to learn the story behind Gale's crime. What she finds challenges her belief in Gale's guilt and, finally, in the justice system.
Plot Keywords: professor, activist, student, lawyer, journalist, death row inmate, suspenseful ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Barbara Graham is a woman with dubious moral standards, often a guest in seedy bars. She has been sentenced for some petty crimes. Two men she knows murder an older woman. When they get caught, they start to think that Barbara has helped the police to arrest them. As revenge, they tell the police that Barbara is the murderer.—Mattias Thuresson
Plot Keywords: petty criminal, journalist, thief, attorney, psychologist, raw, tense ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Texas death row inmate Mark Stroman experiences hate, revenge, understanding and redemption.
Plot Keywords: killer, immigrant, indian, pakistani, gas station attendant, police officer, brutal ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A crook's ex-wife marries the state's governor, and the crook sees an opportunity to make some money by threatening to expose his wife's past if the governor doesn't pay him off. The crook's son, who is also a criminal, doesn't want to see his mother disgraced and determines to stop his father, but things don't turn out the way he planned.—frankfob2@yahoo.com
Plot Keywords: blackmailer, governor, wife, mother, son, father, melodramatic ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Three friends share an exciting vacation in Malaysia, full of fun, drinks, women and hash. When the vacation is over, each have dreams of continuing their lives, and they all go their separate ways. One of them (Phoenix) remains on the tropical paradise to fulfill a dream of working with apes for research. Two years later, a lawyer (Heche) comes to New York and hunts down the other two friends to give some sad news. A few days after they left the island, police raided their camp and found amazingly large quantities of hash left about. Phoenix was still residing there, so he had to take the blame. He is set to be put to death in 8 days, and the only way the charges can be decreased is if the two friends come back to paradise and take their share of the responsibilty. If they do, they both will spend three years in prison. If only one does, he will spend six years behind bars...
Plot Keywords: activist, architect, driver, lawyer, prisoner, friend, intense ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: SHEPHERDS AND BUTCHERS follows a jaded lawyer, John Weber (Steve Coogan), who takes on a seemingly hopeless multiple murder case and uncovers scandalous shortcomings in South Africa's capital punishment system as he mounts a defense for a prison guard traumatized by the executions he took part in.
Plot Keywords: lawyer, prison guard, judge, wife, murderer, prisoner, prisoners ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Three vignettes of old Irish country life, based on a series of short stories. In "The Majesty of the Law," a police officer must arrest a very old-fashioned, traditional fellow for assault. The man's principles have the policeman and the whole village, including the man he slugged, sympathizing with him. "One Minute's Wait" is about an little train station and glimpses into the lives of the passengers, with a series of comic setups. The third piece is called "1921" and is about a condemned Irish nationalist and his daring escape. Tyrone Power introduces each story.—Molly Malloy <mailcall@kiva.net>
Plot Keywords: inspector, friend, englishman, train passenger, nationalist, sergeant, witty ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Prison guard Fred Whitmore (Forest Whitaker), who was raised in a violent household, can't let go of his childhood. He hides his pain from his family, and, as a result, distances himself from his wife, Hope (Lynne Moody). Denver Bayliss (Kiefer Sutherland), a death row inmate, must endure the maltreatment of the wardens during his final days. As the execution approaches, Denver and Fred realize they have plenty in common, and they form an unexpected life-changing bond.
Plot Keywords: prison guard, inmate, warden, wife, son, powerful, uneasy ...
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