1. Dead Man Walking (1995), directed by Tim Robbins, is the powerful portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean as she ministers to a man on death row, Matthew Poncelet, through his final appeals.
2. A Civil Action (1998).
3. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996).
Comments:
“My top choices: A Civil Action, Dead Man Walking and The Sweet Hereafter. Why? A Civil Action is, in its way, an analogue to The Verdict. It is a lawyer redemption story set in a different time. It is also a powerful parable about lawyer hubris. And it is a classic ‘commercial’ lawyer melodrama. The villain is now the soulless corporation. The Sweet Hereafter is not commercial. It is a different type of story: dark and depressing. It is about how sadly disempowered we all are and about how there are mysterious places where the law can simply not go—an exploration of what is beyond the law. Dead Man Walking falls somewhere between these two: In its way, it is also a redemption story (about the convicted Poncelet) and about the redemptive power of love. In a curious Hollywood way, it is also a story about what can never be resolved or understood. Of course, Dead Man Walking purports to explore the death penalty; although it is probably the best Hollywood movie ever made on this subject, Tim Robbins’ adaptation completely loses Sister Helen Prejean’s abolitionist edge somewhere along the way.” —Philip N. Meyer
“The film worth noting here is Dead Man Walking. It’s the essential film to see in any discussion of capital punishment.” —Daniel M. Kimmel