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DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW DETAILS ABOUT THE FILM. STOP HERE.
I am a huge Thornton fan. Considering this film was critically acclaimed and it seemed to be the type of drama I really enjoy, I must say I am hugely disappointed. This movie sucked.
The acting was great, the cinematography was fine. The story really stank, though. The guy who wrote the screenplay was a manipulative boor, and I resent him for attempting to insult my intelligence.
To begin with, roughly the entire first half of the movie was an anti-death penalty rant. I reserved some doubt throughout most of this time, but the ending removed any of this doubt. A graphic depiction of the electrocution said it all.
Do these knee-jerk liberals take into account that there was actually a murder involved? Typically an innocent victim as well. Sometimes a child. Why can't we be reminded of the victim and afford him the same consideration as the inmate during these bleeding heart accounts, whether they are movies or documentaries?
But that was only the beginning, and wasn't the actual flaw of the film. The fatal flaw was Thornton's character hating his own son. Hating him rather vehemently until the boy commits suicide. The next scene we see Hank (Thornton) saying to the pastor at his boy's funeral, "no, you don't need to say anything, I just want to hear the dirt hitting this thing (the coffin)."
Only a monster hates his own son. Is this where the title comes in? I thought the reference was to the night before an execution, as explained in the film.
So now it becomes absurd because we are supposed to like Hank all of a sudden, and hope he finds happiness with Berry's character. I don't buy it.
Where was the salvation? Are we supposed to admire Hank because he was "supposed" to be a racist; but now he finds love with a black woman? This is BS.
First of all, I think the character would be more loathsome if he hates his own son, rather than being racist.
Second of all, I was NEVER convinced Hank was racist to begin with. How was he racist? Because it said so on the video box? He fired his shotgun into the air to get rid of two black kids on his property that his son brought around. Maybe he didn't like strangers. After all, he hated his own son--right?
Don't forget, the whole son-hating sequence begins with Hank beating on him after he "ruins" the black inmate's 'last walk.' I would say that was showing compassion for the guy.
Is there something about this movie I am missing. Either the writer wanted it to be ultra-ambiguous, or he was trying to be manipulative. Either way, I don't care much for it.
I am a huge Thornton fan. Considering this film was critically acclaimed and it seemed to be the type of drama I really enjoy, I must say I am hugely disappointed. This movie sucked.
The acting was great, the cinematography was fine. The story really stank, though. The guy who wrote the screenplay was a manipulative boor, and I resent him for attempting to insult my intelligence.
To begin with, roughly the entire first half of the movie was an anti-death penalty rant. I reserved some doubt throughout most of this time, but the ending removed any of this doubt. A graphic depiction of the electrocution said it all.
Do these knee-jerk liberals take into account that there was actually a murder involved? Typically an innocent victim as well. Sometimes a child. Why can't we be reminded of the victim and afford him the same consideration as the inmate during these bleeding heart accounts, whether they are movies or documentaries?
But that was only the beginning, and wasn't the actual flaw of the film. The fatal flaw was Thornton's character hating his own son. Hating him rather vehemently until the boy commits suicide. The next scene we see Hank (Thornton) saying to the pastor at his boy's funeral, "no, you don't need to say anything, I just want to hear the dirt hitting this thing (the coffin)."
Only a monster hates his own son. Is this where the title comes in? I thought the reference was to the night before an execution, as explained in the film.
So now it becomes absurd because we are supposed to like Hank all of a sudden, and hope he finds happiness with Berry's character. I don't buy it.
Where was the salvation? Are we supposed to admire Hank because he was "supposed" to be a racist; but now he finds love with a black woman? This is BS.
First of all, I think the character would be more loathsome if he hates his own son, rather than being racist.
Second of all, I was NEVER convinced Hank was racist to begin with. How was he racist? Because it said so on the video box? He fired his shotgun into the air to get rid of two black kids on his property that his son brought around. Maybe he didn't like strangers. After all, he hated his own son--right?
Don't forget, the whole son-hating sequence begins with Hank beating on him after he "ruins" the black inmate's 'last walk.' I would say that was showing compassion for the guy.
Is there something about this movie I am missing. Either the writer wanted it to be ultra-ambiguous, or he was trying to be manipulative. Either way, I don't care much for it.
