CLEMENCY
One would think that a movie which begins with an execution of a convicted murder would be able to grab the viewer from the get go. Unfortunately, Writer-Director Chinonye Chukwu's CLEMENCY never makes a compelling argument.
The fine Alfre Woodard plays the Prison Warden who oversees the capital punishment. Fresh off its heels she is awaiting the impending decision for Clemency for another prisoner on Death Row (Aldis Hodge, very good). Wendell Pierce (ditto) plays the Warden's long-suffering husband. While any movie about the Death Penalty is sure to evoke some sort of reaction (it is about Life or Death, after all), CLEMENCY fumbles its case. The script is dry and more than a bit pat and the characters are underwritten to the point of disinterest despite the crucial consequences at stake. The cast rises above the material with several small gems, none more so than Danielle Brooks as the accussed's ex.
The final scene is played out virtually entirely in close-up on Alfre Woodard's face. It is an exquisite bit of dialogue free acting. If only the rest of CLEMENCY were up to that level.
One would think that a movie which begins with an execution of a convicted murder would be able to grab the viewer from the get go. Unfortunately, Writer-Director Chinonye Chukwu's CLEMENCY never makes a compelling argument.
The fine Alfre Woodard plays the Prison Warden who oversees the capital punishment. Fresh off its heels she is awaiting the impending decision for Clemency for another prisoner on Death Row (Aldis Hodge, very good). Wendell Pierce (ditto) plays the Warden's long-suffering husband. While any movie about the Death Penalty is sure to evoke some sort of reaction (it is about Life or Death, after all), CLEMENCY fumbles its case. The script is dry and more than a bit pat and the characters are underwritten to the point of disinterest despite the crucial consequences at stake. The cast rises above the material with several small gems, none more so than Danielle Brooks as the accussed's ex.
The final scene is played out virtually entirely in close-up on Alfre Woodard's face. It is an exquisite bit of dialogue free acting. If only the rest of CLEMENCY were up to that level.